Denny Dent

Denny Dent painting Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Tufts University Spring Fling in 1995. The painting currently hangs in the Mayer Campus Center at Tufts.

Dennis E. "Denny" Dent (April 5, 1948 – March 29, 2004) was an American speed painter who was known for his frenetic performances as he painted large portraits of celebrities.^[1]

Dent was born in Oakland, California and graduated from Oakland High School. His style emerged after he painted a spontaneous portrait of John Lennon at a 1980 vigil. Dent married Ali Christina Flores.

A Denny Dent performance, which he referred to as a "Two-Fisted Art Attack," consisted of him rapidly painting on a 6-foot-tall (1.8 m) black canvas with multiple brushes in both hands, as well as painting with his bare hands, to a musical accompaniment. Over the course of just a few short songs, he would complete a portrait. His subjects were most often musicians, but also included other entertainers, sports figures, and political leaders. One of his most famous performances was at the Woodstock '94 concert.

Dent died in Denver of complications from a heart attack.^[2]

In popular culture

On the History Channel series Pawn Stars, Dent's green painting of Jim Morrison is featured prominently on the wall of the shop.

References

1. ^ Martin, Douglas (April 4, 2004). Denny Dent, Who Made a Performance Out of Painting the Famous, Dies at 55. New York Times
2. ^ Martin, Claire (March 31, 2004). Denny Dent painted with frenetic style. Denver Post

External links

• Denny Dent official site

Persondata
Name	Dent, Denny
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	April 5, 1948
Place of birth
Date of death	March 29, 2004
Place of death