Bird’s Eye View II
2008
Oil on linen
48 x 40”

#1 The Lake and #2 The River
1981
Oil on canvas
71 x 72”

Ross Bleckner (b. 1949, New York, New York) received a BA from New York University in 1971, an MFA from Cal Arts in 1973, and has taught at many of the nation's most prestigious universities. His subject matter ranges from abstracted strands of DNA and cancer cells to flowers and birds. His paintings refer to biology and mortality, operating as memento mori.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum held a major retrospective of his works in 1995, summarizing two decades of solo shows at internationally acclaimed exhibition venues. For ten years, Bleckner served as president of the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA), a nonprofit community-based research and treatment education center. More recently, he has been working with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Northern Uganda to help rehabilitate and raise money for ex-child soldiers. In May 2009, Bleckner was awarded the title of Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations.