Bill Jensen  (American, 1945) 

Bill Jensen (American, b.1945) is a notable painter born in Minneapolis, MN. He is renowned for his take on Abstract and Expressionist styles of work. Jensen’s work is known for its use of shapes and imagery in large spaces on the canvas. Many consider the artist’s pieces to be eerie and dark. His influences come from other artists such as Arthur Dove (American, 1880–1946) and Albert Pinkham Ryder (American, 1847–1917).

Jensen graduated in 1968 from the University of Minnesota with a BFA, and then again in 1970 with an MFA. He eventually relocated to New York, NY, where he found success with his Abstract painting style. He had a showing in 1971 at the Brooklyn Museum, but Jensen was forced to take a short recess from painting after a toxic reaction to his paints later that year. Many of his successful early exhibits were in the Northeastern United States, at the The Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery in Syracuse, NY, Edward Thorp Gallery in New York, NY, and the Summit Art Center in Summit, NJ. The artist’s first solo exhibition was at the Fischbach Gallery in New York in 1981.

Throughout the 1980s, Jensen was part of the Five Painters of New York, and, in 1984, he had his art shown and praised throughout the country. In 1987, the artist received the National Endowment for the Arts Artist Fellowship. His famous work from the 1980s includes Etching For Denial, Guy and the Loon, and Plight. His Abstract designs often contrasted light colors with dark, bold images. In the 1990s, Jensen created Masthead, Defiance, and Postcards From Traki, among other notable works.

Jensen’s recent exhibits include To the Venetians at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI, and ABSTRACTIONS at the Albert Merola Gallery in Provincetown, MA. His recent works include With Color VIII, Precepts, With Color XXVI, With Color XVIII, Ch'an Bones Scroll III, and Notes From the Loggia VI. In most of his recent work, the artist uses ink, egg, or oil tempera on paper, as well as oil on linen. Jensen currently lives and works in New York.