Tom French

The painter Tom French fused photorealistic portraits with swirling abstract forms to create conceptually multilayered works. Known for the soundtrack cover of the cult film Donnie Darko, French created raw depictions of his subjects, who served as fragmented reflections of the conscious and subconscious mind. French’s work engages with principles of Dualism, which is predicated on the philosophy that the consciousness of the “mind” is separate from the intellect of the “brain.” Although the artist worked in a monochromatic palette, he often experimented with mediums, enhancing his charcoal sketches with acrylic, oils, spray paint, and gold leaf. French earned a BA from the Sheffield Institute of Arts and held solo and group shows in the U.K., New York, and Miami. He passed away from cancer in 2019 at the age of 37. His posthumous exhibition at Unit London, “Transcend,” showcased French’s two prominent bodies of work: his “Parallax” and “Duality” paintings. Aware that his “Parallax” works were his last, French injected his final pieces with uncharacteristic pops of bright, defiant yellow.