Bleckner, Ross

Ross Bleckner was born in New York City and was raised in Hewlett, NY, a Long Island suburb. Mr. Bleckner received a Bachelor of Arts from New York University in 1971, a Master of Fine Arts from Cal Arts in 1973, and taught at many of the nation’s most prestigious universities. The Solomon R. Guggenheim of Art held a major retrospective of his works in 1995, summarizing two decades of solo shows at internationally acclaimed exhibition venues such as SFMoMA, Contemporary Arts Museum, Stockholm Moderna Museet, and the Carnegie Museum of Art. Works by Mr. Bleckner are also held in esteemed public collections around the world, including MoMA, MoCA, Astrup Fearnley, Museo National Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Not only has Mr. Bleckner had a profound impact of shaping the New York art world, his philanthropic efforts have enabled many community organizations to perform their vital work. For ten years Mr. Bleckner served as president of AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA), a non-profit community-based AIDS 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 Mr. Bleckner was awarded the title of Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations. Mr. Bleckner lives and works in New York City.