Beer, babes, beaches and butts – ‘getting naked’, as he says, is a crucial part of the artistic process for this Brooklyn-based artist. A rising star on the New York art scene, Todd Bienvenu was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1980. Sex, hedonism and humour pervade his autobiographical paintings. He received his BFA from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana and attended the New York Studio School, New York, New York. Todd lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
Shades. Todd Bienvenu. 2016.
Stargazer. Todd Bienvenu. 2016.
Bienvenu has been included in many group exhibitions, most recently at Frieze New York with Canada Gallery, New York, NY (2016); Louis B James, New York, NY (2016); Cuevas Tilleard, New York, NY (2016); MUPO, Oaxaca, Mexico (2016); Bravin Lee, New York, NY (2016); Momenta, Brooklyn, NY (2016 and 2015); Sculpture Center, Queens, NY (2016 and 2015). Páramo, Guadalajara, Mexico (2015); Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects, New York, NY (2015); Storefront Ten Eyck, Brooklyn, NY (2015). Bienvenu had solo exhibitions at Life on Mars Gallery in 2014 and 2015.
Nap Time. Todd Bienvenu. 2016.
I don’t know what I’m going to do until it happens. At the end of a good day, I look around and don’t know where all the stuff came from. It happened in an unconscious state of mind.
– Todd Bienvenu
Beach Shadow. Todd Bienvenu. 2016.
I have a few themes going through the work right now. Butts and shadows might be the most obvious ones. I keep having ideas that deal with one or both of them. When I put a shadow on a butt for the first time, it was very exciting.
– Todd Bienvenu
Mama Don’t Let Your Babies. Todd Bienvenu. 2016.
I’m not sure that art school can teach you to be an artist. If you listen too well, you become an acolyte. It does introduce you to working artists; it also compresses the time and builds a network of peers. But I think all artists are self-taught. I tried to forget what I learned.
– Todd Bienvenu
