Tina Blondell is an Austrian/American painter. She was born in Salzburg, Austria, but spent the better part of her childhood in Italy where she was introduced to art. She moved to the United States, first to Washington, D.C. in 1971 and then to New Mexico in 1992. By the late 1990s, she had settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and her paintings are a part of many public collections, including in Minnesota at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Weisman Art Museum.
Early life
Blondell was born in Salzburg, Austria in 1953 to an American father and an Austrian mother. In 1957, she moved to Italy, where she lived until she was 18. In Italy, her father taught her how to draw, and she explored European art while traveling with her parents. Her interest and education in art was heavily influenced by seventeenth and nineteenth century artists such as Artemisia Gentileschi, Caravaggio, and Francisco Goya.
Art
Blondell's works reflect a narrative style inspired by early art. Although her art is generally considered contemporary, she often quotes images from art history. She combines references to the past with a newer genre. Examples of her historical quoting include Urban American Gothic], which references Grant Wood's American Gothic from 1930. She also references historical and biblical stories such as Judith beheading Holofernes in her 1999 watercolor painting I'll Make You Shorter By a Head. Many of the subjects in Blondell's paintings are inspired by her friends and acquaintances. Blondell's contemporary paintings often contain themes related to feminism and activism. In her painting Urban American Gothic, she hints at the same-sex couple in the painting with a human rights logo on the cap. She represents women's empowerment through paintings like These Boots Are Made For Walking. Many of these paintings celebrate women and womanhood.
Collections and Exhibitions
Aside from private collections, Blondell's work can be found in the permanent collections at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Weisman Art Museum. She also has public paintings in Hennepin County. These include Helping Hands at the Hennepin County Commissioners Office and the Hennepin County History Mural at the Hennepin County Government Center.
Solo Exhibitions
1996 Minneapolis College of Art & Design Gallery, Minneapolis, MN 1996 Central Presbyterian Art Gallery, Atlanta, GA 1997 Occupied Space Gallery, Minneapolis, MN 1998 Joan Polk Interiors, Washington, DC 1999 Shelley Holzemer Gallery, Minneapolis, MN 1999 Minneapolis Government Center, Minneapolis, MN 2000 The Women's Club, Minneapolis, MN 2000 Shelley Holzemer Gallery, Minneapolis, MN 2000 Atwood Gallery, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN 2001 Shelley Holzemer Gallery, Minneapolis, MN 2002 Fraser Gallery, Washington, DC 2002 Shelley Holzemer Gallery, Minneapolis, MN. 2003 Shelley Holzemer Gallery, Minneapolis, MN. 2004 Shelley Holzemer Gallery, Minneapolis, MN 2006 Gallerie Icosahedron, New York, NY 2007 Park Square Theater, St. Paul, MN 2007 4 star gallery, Indianapolis, IN 2008 Nina Bliese Gallery, Minneapolis, MN 2008 Atwood Gallery, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN 2012 The Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins, MN 2013 The Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, WI
Group Exhibitions
1999 Minneapolis Government, Center, Minneapolis, MN 1999 Lexington Art League, Lexington, KY 2000 Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Foot in the Door, Minneapolis, MN 2001 Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Recent Acquisitions, Minneapolis, MN 2001 Shelley Holzemer Gallery, Minneapolis, MN 2001 Fraser Gallery, Washington DC 2002 Fraser Gallery, Washington DC 2002 Shelley Holzemer Gallery, Minneapolis, MN 2002 Boxheart Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA 2003 Shelley Holzemer Gallery, Minneapolis, MN 2003 Shelley Holzemer Gallery, Minneapolis, MN 2003 Fraser Gallery, Washington DC 2003 Weisman Art Museum, Art Expo, Minneapolis, MN 2004 Fraser Gallery, Washington, DC 2004 Shelley Holzemer Gallery, Minneapolis, MN. 2004 Fraser Gallery, Bethesda, MD 2006 Boxheart Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA 2006 Gallerie Icosahedron, New York, NY 2006 Ferrara Museum of the Estense Castle, Ferrara, Italy 2007 4 Star Gallery, Indianapolis, IN 2007 Habitat Gallery, Denver, CO 2007 New Hope Sidetracks Gallery, New Hope, PA 2007 The Soap Factory, Minneapolis, MN 2008 New Hope Sidetracks Gallery, New Hope, PA 2008 Allen Gallery, Chelsea, NY 2009 Plymouth Congregational Church Gallery, Minneapolis, MN 2009 Midwest Biennial, Wausau, WI, Jury awarded second place for “Urban American Gothic” 2009 Stephanie Roper Gallery, Frostburg State University, Frostburg, Maryland 2009 Salisbury University Galleries, Salisbury, MD 2010 Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Woman as Temptress in the Renaissance Tradition 2011 Hennes Art Company, Minneapolis, MN 2011 Hofstra Museum, Hempstead NY 2012 Bloomington Art Center, Lace & Gunpowder: Male/Female Art Exhibition 2012 Catherine G Murphy Gallery, St Catherine University, Lace and Gunpowder 2014 Instinct Art Gallery,Minneapolis, MN, Heavy: The Metal Show 2014 Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN 2015 Made Here – Brilliance, Minneapolis, MN 2015 Instinct Art Gallery,Minneapolis, MN, Humanly Possible, The Empathy Show 2016 Ann Arbor Art Center, Ann Arbor, MI, Real American 2017 Fine Arts, Minnesota State Fair, St Paul, MN 2018 Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, WI, Humanly Possible, The Empathy Show 2018 Fine Arts, Minnesota State Fair, St Paul, MN
