Ross Bleckner (born 1949) emerged as a prominent painter in New York during the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. His work often reflects on the ideas of change, loss, and health.Not only has he had a profound impact on shaping the New York art world, but he has made a similar philanthropic impact. For ten years, Mr. Bleckner served as president of the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA) and 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.

 

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.