Madge Tennent
British, naturalized American, 1889-1972
Local Color, 1934
Oil on canvas
69 x 40 "
Tennent Art Foundation Collection
Only a set of eyes remains still, as Madge Tennent animates the scene with curvaceous forms and abstracted floral motifs. Modeled with thick swirls of tropical colors, these Hawaiian figures...
Only a set of eyes remains still, as Madge Tennent animates the scene with curvaceous forms and abstracted floral motifs. Modeled with thick swirls of tropical colors, these Hawaiian figures seem absorbed in a slow, dreamy dance under the brilliant sunshine, at once physically near and psychologically distant. One woman gazes at us, a red flower in her hair and ginger garland around her neck, while the other turns away.
Local Color was selected by jury to represent Hawaiʻi at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, where it was admired by millions of visitors and won a medal. Nearly 50 years later, the painting returned to the East Coast for the inaugural gala of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. (1987). On loan there through 2006, this masterwork was frequently exhibited, cementing Tennent’s stature among leading American women artists.
Local Color was selected by jury to represent Hawaiʻi at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, where it was admired by millions of visitors and won a medal. Nearly 50 years later, the painting returned to the East Coast for the inaugural gala of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. (1987). On loan there through 2006, this masterwork was frequently exhibited, cementing Tennent’s stature among leading American women artists.
Exhibitions
Contemporary Art of the United StatesIBM Gallery of Science and Art, New York World's Fair (Flushing, N.Y.)
1939-1940
National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington, D.C.)
Rotating exhibitions, 1987-2006
Publications
Contemporary Art of the United States. New York: International Business Machines Corporation, 1940. Print.Tennent, Madge, et al. The Art and Writing of Madge Tennent. Norfolk Island, Australia: Island Heritage, 1978. Print.