Ellen Berkenblit

Ellen Berkenblit is an American painter, born in 1958 in Paterson, New Jersey. A graduate of the Cooper Union in 1980, Berkenblit has established herself as a prominent figure in contemporary art. Her work is characterized by large-scale oil paintings that often feature a recurring motif of a whimsical female protagonist. This character is typically depicted in profile with cartoonish features such as long lashes, rosy cheeks, and wild hair, embodying a sense of magic and fantasy. Berkenblit's work has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including an Arts and Letters grant from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2013 and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2014. Her paintings have been exhibited widely, including at the Anton Kern Gallery in New York, and are part of the collection at the Brooklyn Museum. Berkenblit is represented by galleries in New York, Berlin, and Chicago, and her work is sought after by collectors for its unique blend of narrative and abstraction, as well as its vibrant and imaginative style.