Richard Ellis “Belle Harbor”

P339 Gallery

poster for Richard Ellis “Belle Harbor”

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Richard Ellis Is an author, painter, illustrator, graphic designer, naturalist, marine biologist, anti-whaling activist, marine conservationist, and lifelong New Yorker.

Born in 1938 and raised in Brooklyn, by the time he reached high school his family had relocated out to the seaside in Queens, where his fascination for the natural world exploded, particularly in terms of a voracious interest in marine biology.

Without a clear sense of how to translate his hugely varied interests and skills into an existing career path, he majored in American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, did a brief stint in the military between the Korean and Vietnam wars, and married in 1963. In the late 60’s he transitioned from a small museum planning business into a rigorous research practice, which would eventually culminate in the development and publication of his first book, The Book Of Sharks, in 1975.

He then went on to write 23 more books and hundreds of magazine articles, which have appeared in National Geographic, Natural History, Audubon, Curator, National Wildlife, Geo, and Australian Geographic. He became a research associate in the American Museum of Natural History’s division of Paleontology, special adviser to the American Cetacean Society, and a member of the Explorer’s Club. He was also the U.S. delegate to the International Whaling Commission from 1980 to 1990. His paintings have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world.

Belle Harbor is a demonstrably brief retrospective cross section of a massive body of work - in this case mostly drawings, spanning his entire career; it is meant to convey his formidable skill and huge range of study, undertaken in his work from the early 1960’s until today. Primarily featured here are studies and final illustrations of marine and land animals, however a handful of drawings from his college years and studies from his museum planning days are also included, along with prints of some of the acrylic paintings he produced for his seminal/ master studies, the books published by Alfred A. Knopf and others, between 1977- 2013.

Evident in all of Richard Ellis’s work is a profound reverence for the natural world, incredible technique, an ambient tint of absurd humor, and an exquisitely light touch.

Media

Schedule

from February 22, 2018 to March 25, 2018

Opening Reception on 2018-02-24 from 19:00 to 20:00

Artist(s)

Richard Ellis

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