Who is Mark Andrew Allen?

Answer 1

Mark Andrew Allen is AWESOME!

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Mark Andrew Allen (born January 20 in Houston, Texas) is an American artist, painter, graphic designer, with a specialization in hand lettering. He has been a major figure in the graphic design community for two decades. Much of his celebrated work is from the entertainment industry, including logos for "The Nightmare Before Christmas", "Yu-Gi-Oh!", and "112" for Sean P.Diddy's Combs record label Bad Boy Records. His early influences included his commercial artist father Harrison Allen, who taught him hand lettering.

Allen received a bachelors degree in Commercial Art at Texas State University in San Marcos and later he continued studying at Parson's School of Design in New York City, and studied further at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He served as Vice President of Development for two years in the American Institute of Graphic Arts, (AIGA) Los Angeles Chapter. He has been an invited lecturer and portfolio reviewer at Cal State Universities and at Art Center College of Design in southern California. His alma mater, Texas State University, featured his work in the publication "The Article" in 1998. He has been involved with college internship programs and has employed students from colleges throughout the U.S. and the U.K.

He opened his first painting studio in an artist co-op where he had his first shows at the gallery 'Designer' Space' in Austin, Texas. Painting soon became an obsession for him.

In the late 80's, Mark moved to Los Angeles. He started using typography in his paintings and exploring scale with billboard size canvases. He traveled to Europe in the early 1990's to see the great art at world class museums such as the Tate in London, The Centre Pompidou and Louvre in Paris and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Upon returning, Allen began creating art work on a daily basis.

He rented an apartment in Chelsea (New York City) and went back and forth from west coast to east coast eventually establishing himself with galleries on both coasts, including exhibiting in the front windows of the Rockefeller Center on two occasions.

Allen's paintings are in many notable collections. Six of his paintings of Selena Gomez were purchased by the Disney Channel for the Emmy winning hit television show "Wizards Of Waverly Place."

Allen currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.

MUSEUMS:

Experience Music Project, Seattle, WA

Memphis Brooks Museum, Memphis TN

Arcadiana Museum, Lafayette, LA

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH

GALLERIES:

Track 16 Gallery, Bergamont Station, Santa Monica, CA

Goldstrom Gallery, NYC

Coppola Art Exchange, Beverly Hills, CA

Soapbox Gallery, Venice, CA

Phantom Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

Salon Oblique, Venice, CA

Red Room Gallery, Venice, CA

XO Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

Gavin Gallery, New Zealand

Pop Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

Data Gallery, Austin, TX

Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, TX

PUBLICATIONS;

ARTFORUM Magazine 30th Anniversary Issue

LIGHTNING Magazine - published in Tokyo, November 2009 issue

USA Today

Rolling Stone Magazine

Los Angeles Times, Calendar Weekend

Coagula Art Review Calendar, January Artist for year 2001

LA WEEKLY, Pain Tings by Mark Allen

The Article, Texas State Art Department - Fifteen Minutes with Mark Allen

Santa Monica Observer, BAba Features Soulful Artist

Landmark Calendars, featured artist for 1991 calendar

Communication Arts

Print Magazine

HOW Magazine

Letter Arts Review

Extreme Graphics

Letterwork, published in London

Sugar, published in Japan

Oh! published in Seole, Korea

The New Logo of California Vol. 1 & 2

The Workbook 92-08

Single Image 16, 17, 19

The Alternative Pick 93-01

American Showcase 98-99

Austin Chronicle

Texas Monthly

Austin Magazine

D Magazinie

Penthouse Magazine

EXHIBITIONS:

SOLO SHOWS

2010 944 Bldg lobby, West Hollywood, CA

2010 The Rise, Hollywood, CA

2010 Studio Show, Santa Monica, CA

2010 Coppola Art Exchange, Beverly Hills, CA

2006 Le Petit, Santa Monica, CA

2004 Abbot's Habit, Venice, CA

2000 Rockefeller Center, Carnevale Italia, New York, NY

2000 Soapbox Gallery, Venice, CA

2000 Gavin Gallery, New Zealand

1999 Rockefeller Center, New York, NY

1998 The Front, New York, NY

1995 Mission Gallery, San Diego, CA

1994 X/O Gallery, Art Is Stupid, Los Angeles, CA

1992 M.A. Venice Gallery, Venice, CA

1992 BAba, Santa Monica, CA,

1992 The Mint, Los Angeles, CA

1981 Steamboat Springs, Austin, TX

1980 Steamboat Springs, Austin, TX

GROUP SHOWS

2010 Coppola Art Exchange, Beverly Hills, CA

2010 Downtown Art Walk, Los Angeles, CA

2009 Phantom Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2008 Salon Oblique, Venice, CA

2008 Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, TX

2007 Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, TX

2007 Gables Art Gallery, Austin, TX

2004 Experience Music Project, Seattle, WA

2004 Memphis Brooks Museum, Memphis TN

2004 Acadiana Museum, Lafayette, LA

2004 Track 16 Gallery, Bergamont Station, Santa Monica,CA

2003 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Clevland, OH

2003 Slave, Erotica Art Show, Venice, CA

2003 Art Walk, Venice, CA

2002 Art Walk, Venice, CA

2002 Red Room Gallery, Venice, CA

2001 Art Walk, Venice, CA

2000 The Millennium Show, Seole, Korea

1999 POP Exhibit, Tokyo, Japan

1999 Society of Illlustrators, Los Angeles, CA

1998 New York Art Director's Club, New York, NY

1998 Letterwork, London, England

1998 Goldstrom Gallery, Surrealist, New York, NY

1998 Goldstrom Gallery, Shoot Me, New York, NY

1997 Edgemar Complex, Mad River, Santa Monica, CA

1993 XX/O Gallery, Christmas Tree Show, Los Angeles, CA

1992 Jacket Invitational, Passadena, CA

1992 Houston Art Director's Club, Houston, TX

1990 Mezaluna, Brentwood, CA

1989 Dougherty Art Center, Texas Artists, Austin, TX

1988 11th Annual Art Alumni Exhibition, San Marcos, TX

1987 Dougherty Art Center, Austin, TX

1986 The Arts Warehouse, Texas 86, Austin, TX

1986 Designer Space Gallery, Austin, TX

1985 8th Annual Art Alumni Exhibition, San Marcos, TX

1985 Data Gallery, Body Parts, Austin, TX

1983 Steamboat Springs, Austin, TX

1984 Data Gallery, Downtown, Austin, TX

1981 Dallas Museum, DSVC Annual Show, Dallas, TX

1980 Art Gallery, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX