surrealistic juxtapositions that pervade Brennan’s painting. Among his most significant influences are Lucian Freud, Wayne Thiebaud and Gerhard Richter, whose approaches to figuration, surface and perception are echoed throughout Brennan’s practice.
The tone of Left of Eden is cautionary yet hopeful, attentive to the contradictions of contemporary life without resolving them. Moments that might otherwise fade into obscurity are fixed in paint, inviting the viewer to linger a moment longer. For Brennan, painting is a personal imperative. His canvases serve as a means of record keeping, a ledger of what is left in contemporary culture: the pressures, absurdities and shifting values of the present. Left of Eden assures these states, however precarious, are worth looking at closely.
Raised in Mill Valley, Brennan has lived and worked in San Francisco since graduating from University of California, Santa Cruz in 1976. Brennan’s paintings have entered private, corporate and museum collections internationally. Notable collectors include Ann Getty and Gordon Getty, as well as Gary Shansby, who sponsored Brennan’s contribution to the San Francisco Hearts project. In addition to his studio practice, he has received national recognition for his extensive portfolio of restaurant designs, including projects featured by Esquire and BonAppétit . His mural commissions include major works at the Oakland Arena, the Metreon and Park La Brea. Brennan’s paintings are also held by the Napa Valley Museum of Contemporary Art.
Nijinsky , 2025, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
Final Edition , 2025, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
Chapeau , 2025, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
MICHAEL BRENNAN in conversation with MARIA PORGES
MP: Is the woman on the left in 86’d pregnant? It seems to be a reference to the expulsion from Garden of Eden, except they’re both women. So perhaps that refers to a loss of rights/loss of autonomy for women?
MB: I had been thinking a lot about gender. What it means to be male or female both currently and throughout history, going back to the Garden of Eden. Not just as an individual but also how time has changed how the sexes interact and the expectations placed on all of us. Women’s role in our current political and social climate is tenuous at best. The bond displayed by the two women is both reassuring and heartfelt—a testimony to humanity.
MP: You chose to put Old Gold Dream on the announcement. It seems to be a commentary on modern/ contemporary art—the emperor’s new clothes, that kind of thing. Would that be accurate?
MB: Old Gold Dream is both a commentary on life and on the art world. In some ways life is a spectator sport—I often feel like an observer rather than a participant. A possible excuse for becoming an artist. It’s also about actually “looking” at an artwork rather than being blinded by its theoretically assigned value. The gold leaf is imitation, referring to the trumped-up value of today’s ‘blue chip’ art works. On a personal level the painting sums up my early dreams and aspirations for my practice.
86’d , 2025, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
MP: The first thing I noticed was that all of the paintings are square, the same size, spaced evenly in rows. You’ve worked with a number of formats over your career, so this is clearly a choice. All 24 seem to be in conversation with each other, but also like completely separate islands of experience and thought.
So, what is the significance of the way they are presented? Is the first one, titled Kodachrome , a clue? It seems to be a multilevel joke/comment about representation. It’s a painting of a slide of an image of a book about oil painting. Is this the way all of these pieces should be read? I use the word read intentionally, because one thing the square format and even spacing you’ve chosen implies is that these are a story, like a graphic novel.
MB: The presentation and content of the show hopefully invokes a sustained feeling throughout—“cinematic” comes closest to my intention with the paintings. An emotional imprint created by our life experiences both individually and as a society is the element that bonds us all. A commonality put upon us by societal norms and traditions is reflected upon in both individual works and the show in its entirety.
MP: This installation seems very deliberate—meaning, you know this space well and clearly conceived of the size, shape, etc. of these works for this space. Do you mean for the whole thing to communicate a specific message as a whole? Obviously, the individual paintings stand on their own, but your choices are always deliberate.
MB: I tried for an interesting collection—maybe a little too indicative of my thought processes and approaches to my paintings. There is a thread of meaning that is hopefully pervasive throughout. I think we all need to think about the nuances of events that influence our lives. Paintings that capture those sentiments become more meaningful and relatable. I look on painting as an opportunity to actually make a statement about our times and the human condition.
Kodachrome , 2025, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
MP: As nostalgic as they are, many images seem to be describing a widespread amnesiac refusal of the past—the end of an era, when photographs and books had primacy as well as serving as source material. In fact, there’s something deeply melancholic about all of these works. Something elegiac. A bittersweet reflection of the chaos in which we find ourselves now—almost like a plea for beauty.
MB: I’ve never been averse to either sentimentality or nostalgia. Memory has always dictated a lot in my work, which is not to say the present plays a lesser role. Each piece is meant to invoke a feeling or a reaction based on content that will hopefully leave a lasting impression. “A plea for beauty” is a perfect summation of my reaction to a lot of what art and life have to offer in today’s society.
Candle in the Wind , 2025, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
Book Smart , 2025, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
Aviary , 2025, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
Not Fade Away , 2025, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
Locomotive , 2024, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
MP: There is a combination of source material and styles, often in one painting: old, black and white photographs juxtaposed with much more modern color photographs. Lots of so-called erotic imagery which doesn’t look erotic at all. In total, there seems to be some kind of commentary about failure to communicate. Failure of romance or love. Failure to coexist, like in Calamity . Is this an accurate reading?
I have never thought of your work as making political commentary, but I feel like some of these are definitely pointed in that direction. At least, towards commentary about the decline and fall of western civilization.
MB: In a way these paintings are a commentary on our society and culture—just where we stand individually and as a civilization. Communication and how we communicate plays a role in a lot of the pieces, be it through the printed word or device. I tried to convey a feeling of optimism, a more hopeful outlook as time intervenes. While the human condition is at times deplorable, civilization as a whole is definitely worth saving. Adversity has been a key motivational factor throughout much of history and remains so especially today.
SwipeRight , 2025, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
SwipeLeft , 2026, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
Calamity , 2025, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
Déjeuner , 2025, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
Life Line , 2025, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
From Grace , 2025, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
Fall
De-evolution , 2025, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
Man’s Best Friend , 2026, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
Gift Wrapped , 2025, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
MICHAEL BRENNAN SELECTED CHRONOLOGY
Born Mill Valley, California, 1953
EDUCATION
1976 University of California, Santa Cruz, BFA
1974-75 University of California, Davis
1973 College of Marin, CA, AA
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2026 Modernism West, San Francisco
2024 Modernism Inc., San Francisco
2022 Modernism Inc., 1117 Market Street, San Francisco
2022 Modernism West, San Francisco
2016 White Walls Gallery, San Francisco
2015 White Walls Gallery, San Francisco
2010 Susan Street Fine Art Gallery, Solano Beach, CA
2007 Susan Street Fine Art Gallery, Solano Beach, CA
2006 Susan Street Fine Art Gallery, Solano Beach, CA
2005
2004
2003
K Kimpton Contemporary Art, San Francisco
455 Market Lobby Gallery, San Francisco
Napa Valley Museum, Yountville, CA
Leanne Hull Fine Art, La Jolla, CA
Domaine Chandon, Yountville, CA
K Kimpton Contemporary Art, San Francisco
1998 Bank of America World Headquarters, San Francisco
International Art Exposition, Fort Mason, San Francisco
K Kimpton Contemporary Art, San Francisco
1993
K Kimpton Contemporary Art, San Francisco
1992 Bank of America World Headquarters, San Francisco
1991 Peter Miller Gallery, Chicago, IL
1989 Ivory/Kimpton Gallery, San Francisco
1988 Shaklee Building, San Francisco
1987 Ivory/Kimpton Gallery, San Francisco
1983 Bank of America World Headquarters, San Francisco
1981 Joseph Chowning Gallery, San Francisco
1976 Stevenson College, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2004 Hearts in San Francisco
1999 K Kimpton Contemporary Art, San Francisco
1989 Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Portland, OR
1987 Fingerhut Gallery, Edina, MN
1982 Joseph Chowning Gallery, San Francisco
1977 Airport Competition, San Francisco
1976 College of Marin, Marin, CA Razor Gallery, New York
1974 Marin Society of Artists, Marin, CA
1973 College of Marin, Marin, CA
SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Fred A. Anderson Inc., Minneapolis
Bank of America World Headquarters, San Francisco
Bressie Management Co., San Francisco
Equidon Inc., Irvine, CA
Imperial Capital, New York
Philip Morris Headquarters, New York
Napa Valley Museum, Yountville, CA
Security Pacific Bank, Los Angeles
Shaklee Corporations, San Francisco
SELECTED MURAL COMMISSIONS
Brickyard Mall, Chicago, IL
Bruno’s Nightclub, San Francisco
Curio Restaurant, San Francisco
Farallon, San Francisco
Google, San Francisco
Harry’s Bar, San Francisco
Jardiniere, San Francisco
Kensington Park Hotel, San Francisco
Kuletos Restaurant, San Francisco
The Metreon, San Francisco
New Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA
Rex Hotel, San Francisco
