Timothy App, a celebrated abstract painter and former Maryland Institute College of Art professor, died Wednesday at 78, confirmed Amy Eva Raehse, director of Goya Contemporary Gallery, the Baltimore gallery that represented the artist.

Over five decades, App, an Akron, Ohio, native who began teaching at MICA in 1990, became a standout figure in American abstract art thanks to more than 25 solo exhibits, including a career retrospective in 2013 at the American University Museum in Washington, D.C.

App’s distinctive geometric style forgoes people or places, and instead evokes emotion through structure, clean lines and open space. His large-scale works — which also display App’s talent for creating moods and tones through color — are owned by the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Akron Art Museum, The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., and other art institutions.

“Timothy App was a significant voice in American abstraction whose rigorous inquiry into geometric form and the metaphysics of painting shaped five decades of artistic discourse,” Raehse said in a statement. “His disciplined, quietly luminous works invite contemplative engagement, and his integrity — as an artist, an educator, and a man — left an indelible mark on generations."

App died after “a long battle” with cancer, according to Raehse, whose gallery inside Hampden’s Mill Centre worked with him for more than two decades.

MICA President Cecilia McCormick said App “inspired so many in his almost 30 years at the College” in a statement to The Banner.

“We remember his artistry, his support and mentorship of students, and his love of colleagues and friends,” she said.

App lived in North Baltimore’s Keswick neighborhood and retired from MICA in 2017. His teaching career featured stops at Pomona College in California and the University of New Mexico.

Along the way, App won awards like a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, Maryland State Arts Council individual artist grants and two Trustee’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching at MICA. From 2018 to 2022, he also served on the Maryland State Arts Council’s board.

App was a “consummate teacher,” Michael Weiss, associate provost and dean for undergraduate studies at MICA, said in a statement. Weiss recalled a colleague who provided generous feedback to all students, whom he greeted in his classroom “with a seriousness of purpose, but also with humor and honesty.”

“Timothy served MICA in many ways, from taking on leadership positions to curriculum development. He was influential for generations of students, including many who went on to careers as educators,” Weiss said. “I count myself lucky to have considered him a friend, and to have learned a great deal from him.”

App remained professionally active throughout his life. BmoreArt Executive Director Cara Ober labeled App’s late 2024 exhibition “Equipoise” a must-see in a preview for The Banner: “A balance of Brutalist and Bauhaus, the artist finds endless variation within dusky earth tones, beiges and blacks that would fall flat under a less-skilled artist’s hand.”

Outside of art, App was a cherished husband to Theresa Lynch Bedoya, a former MICA administrative official whom App met on campus. He was a father and grandfather who loved his cat, Marcel. The Kent State University alum was a folk music fan and U.S. history buff, per Goya — so much so that App became a Civil War reenactor with the 3rd Maryland Volunteer Infantry and the National Regiment.

Goya plans to host a memorial exhibition in App’s honor in 2026, with details to be announced later.

“We mourn not only a visionary painter, but a dear friend, and a cherished member of our gallery family,” Raehse said. “His loss is immeasurable, so words cannot express our sadness at this time.”

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