Brandon Deener – Biography | Galerie Enrico Navarra

BRANDON DEENER

Brandon Deener was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1982. He now lives and works in Los Angeles. He grew up in a large family for whom church and music were essential. One uncle was a bishop, another played bass and guitar. His grandmother sang with her sisters as the Boone Sisters. As a child, he also sang in the choir and played drums at church.

He drew constantly: cartoons at first, then comic-book characters from around the age of 13. As a member of his school band, however, he could not take art classes. At 17, at Overton High School in Memphis, he picked up his cousin Benjamin Cooper, a painter, from art class every day. There he first watched students work in watercolor, oil, acrylic and charcoal. That world still shapes the way he sketches today. His uncle George Cooper also nurtured his creativity. This eccentric carpenter made objects from wood he cut himself.

From Music to Painting

In 2001, his mother gave him an MPC 2000XL drum machine. He then became a producer and handed out demos in Atlanta. In 2005, he finally caught the attention of Timbaland. He immediately quit his job at FedEx to join Timbaland’s studio in Virginia. There he worked with Timbaland, Missy Elliott and Lil Wayne. In 2012, an EP produced in Miami took him to New York, to work with Jay-Z and Beyoncé. But he was left uncredited on some records. So he chose to strike out on his own.

The year 2014 marked a turning point. Within a few weeks, he lost his father, his grandmother and several relatives. He stayed in Memphis for three months and then turned to painting. It thus became a serious, spiritual practice. In Miami and then Fort Lauderdale, he presented his first solo shows. They featured gummy bears, smiley-face balloons, jellybeans and Fisher-Price figures.

Early Years in Los Angeles

In 2017, he took part in the group exhibition Eye for Eye in Los Angeles. Indeed, he was the only artist to sell a work there. Brandon Deener moved to the city in January 2018. In 2019, he met the dealer Stefan Simchowitz. Encouraged by a painter friend, he also took up oil. His very first oil painting, a portrait of Stevie Wonder, won Simchowitz over. Simchowitz welcomed him into residency in July 2020.

The painting of Brandon Deener draws on his experience as a musician. It brings together rhythm, family memory and the African American culture of the South. He has exhibited at Simchowitz and Jac Forbes in Los Angeles, and at Gallery One in Fort Lauderdale. The Guardian and Artlyst have covered his work. His paintings are held by the Crocker Art Museum, the Fairfield University Art Museum, the Hall Foundation and Amorepacific. Tony Shafrazi, Bruno Mars and Usher are also among his collectors.

Resonance in Paris

In 2024, Galerie 75 Faubourg in Paris presented Resonance, his first solo exhibition in France. It was organized by Tony Shafrazi (Gallery Without Walls) and Doriano Navarra (Galerie Enrico Navarra). Fifteen large oil paintings were shown, accompanied by a catalogue.

From Music to Painting

Early Years in Los Angeles

Resonance in Paris

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