Lowland (Nocturnal) | 36” x 48” | Oil on Canvas | 2025
Biography
Derrick Breidenthal’s paintings have been showcased throughout the US and abroad. His art is heavily influenced by rural America. The combination of severe space, light and color in Derrick’s work reveal much more than the precise site itself. His paintings are confident depictions of atmospheric spaces that balance an interesting line between familiar scenes and specific events. His dedication has resulted in numerous solo exhibitions and inclusion in many private and corporate collections across the United States. In 2021 Breidenthal debuted his first solo museum exhibition of over 20 nocturnal oil paintings at The Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art.
Breidenthal’s paintings have been described as very tonal and are sometimes compared to the Tonalist that emerged in the late 1800’s; others see roots in Modernism. His use of color and technique create a precise sensation, pulse, and rhythm for the viewer. Breidenthal’s paintings pivot and bend to create his own visual language.
Some permanent collections include: Principal Financial, Des Moines, IA, Athene, Philadelphia, PA, Parks, Open Space and Cultural Arts Department, Denver, CO, H&R Block, Kansas City, MO, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, MMG Worldwide, Kansas City, MO, The Faulconer Gallery, Grinnell, IA, W Hotel Collection, Detroit, MI, and Viceroy Snowmass, Aspen, CO. Derricks paintings are widely collected across the country and abroad.
Selected Exhibitions & Press
PULSE | Solo exhibition 2023 | moberg gallery
Skylights, Landfall, Sundown, and Echoes—these are not just titles for Derrick Breidenthal’s new work; these are oil paintings that make mood, provoke contemplation, and pause us briefly, in a world gone fast and furious. Atmosphere is Breidenthal’s forte, and he is conscious of both nature and man’s mechanical place within it. This coexistence, sometimes, is not so peaceful. - Michaela Mullin
Pulse 2023 | Moberg Gallery | View Exhibition Video and images.
Skylight | 60” x 60” | Oil on Canvas | 2023
Aesthetica magazine
Contemporary Abstraction: Collaging Space and Color | Moberg Gallery
Derrick Breidenthal’s landscapes are translucent—but what do we think we see on the other side? It’s the visibility percentage that amazes the viewer here—horizon spots of lightness—but these landscapes are mostly sky, which offer a lost perspective though they feel like there must be vanishing points somewhere, if only the clouds would clear. The haze factor is what make these paintings so embracing, like weather itself. Gloaming or evening storm, morning fog or rain, Breidenthal’s wide open spaces hint at what’s down the road. Even if you can’t yet see it.
Contemporary Abstraction Show Review
Squall | 40” x 80” | Oil on Canvas | 2022 (private collection)
Fresh Perspectives | Walker Fine Art
Artists use varying techniques to create a realistic impression of depth, while humans in general create their individual realities from personal points of view. The way you interpret the world around you, as well as the artwork you view, is all influenced by your vantage point. By contemplating the multi-faceted meaning of perspective, the six artists in this group exhibition showcase their navigations through a variety of mediums. Approaching these notions from micro or macro lenses, each artist questions and portrays their individual meanings of space, home, environment and what it all means to them.
Metamorphic | 40” x 60” | Oil on Canvas | 2023 (private collection)
Pines | 40” x 60” | Oil on Canvas | 2023 (private collection)
Nocturnes by Derrick Breidenthal | Solo Exhibition | 2021 - Albrecht-Kemper Museum
Derrick Breidenthal’s landscapes display velvety night exposures along with penetrating fires straining the land—demonstrating the grace and fragility of our surroundings. Breidenthal’s persistent insomnia has given him an intimate grasp of the nocturnal habitat. The result is a collection of haunting depictions of solitude, beauty and destruction. These new works will debut in a solo exhibition at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, January 16th, 2021.
Connected by techniques of gentle blending and diffusion, Breidenthal is able to illuminate rare night-time colors and conditions. Stunningly rich oil color and beautiful compositions manifest a range of lucid night-time sensations for the viewer. The exhibition is comprised of more than 25 paintings including three large works. Running through April at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum.
Dark Hollow | 40” x 60” | Oil on Canvas | 2019 Available at Moberg Gallery
Diffusion by Derrick Breidenthal (Video Installation) | 2019 - Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art
“Diffusion” invites the viewer into the artistic process of Derrick Breidenthal. Projecting videos and photography in the studio allows Breidenthal to diffuse, replay, distort, and adjust perspective of his imagery. By doing so, he is able to move past simply documenting research material with paint and instead uncover soulful moments that help determine the heart of his paintings. View footage from St. Joe and surrounding areas in an unfamiliar way but with a familiar feel. Running through early April, 2019.
Aesthetica Art Prize 2022
Blues Run The Game has been Longlisted for the Aesthetica Art Prize 2022 and will be featured in the upcoming Future Now 2022 Anthology. Future Now will showcase 125 Contemporary Artists (Photography/Painting/Film) selected from around the world. Summer 2022.
