Tom Antell’s paintings delve into cartoon imagery and dark humor, playing out absurd, colorful allegories to present an alternative view of American history and the traditional symbols of exceptionalism and bounty. He describes himself as a narrative painter, depicting stories of Native American history and culture. Much of the work in his exhibition Democratic Vistas is focuses on his own family’s experience of land loss, boarding schools, and forced assimilation.
Tom Antell was born in 1954 in Minnesota. He is an enrolled member of the White Earth Minnesota Chippewa (Ojibwe) Tribe. He graduated from Cal Arts with a B.F.A in 1976, and in 2005 in received an M.A. in Studio Arts from the University of Wisconsin – Superior.
Wisconsin Academy Offices
1922 University Avenue
Madison, Wisconsin 53726
Phone: 608.733.6633
James Watrous Gallery
3rd Floor, Overture Center for the Arts
201 State Street
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: 608.733.6633 x25
