Ellen Lanyon American (1926-2013) Phantom Fish Bowl, 1970 oil on canvas signed verso under backing board. Provenance: From a private collector, Indianapolis. From the artist's memorial tribute by the Art Institute of Chicago submitted by Gene Meier. His source was the brother of the artist. Lanyon has been an icon of the Chicago school for more than 60 years, painting in a way that harkens to both formalism and the realms of dreams and symbolism. Her works involve the most fanciful of still-lifes one could ever imagine, such as, the replication of intricate objects, like a small ceramic humidor in the shape of a frog smoking a pipe that first belonged to her grandfather, and the incorporation of natural elements in fantastical settings. Lanyon said that she felt she was a magician through her paintings, one "who can transform flowers into fire, create the animate out of the inanimate, and utilize osmosis and gravity to create illusion." And she did through items of nostalgia, rich color pallets, and dream-like scenarios that brought her scenes to life. Lanyon made the transition to New York City as her primary residence and studio in the late-1970s, but her heart and home has always been in Chicago. She has had more than 75 solo exhibitions and 11 museum exhibitions, including three major traveling retrospectives. Her work is in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Union League Club, Chicago; numerous private collections in the Chicago area; and other major museums and collections in the United States and abroad. Education: Honorary Doctorate, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2007 The Courtauld Institute University of London, UK MFA, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 1950 BFA, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago,1948 Lanyon has taught painting at several institutions including the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Cooper Union and the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Lanyon received several Armstrong Prize Awards and a Logan Prize from the Art Institute of Chicago, Fulbright Study Grant, Cassandra Foundation Grant, Herewood Lester Cook Foundation Award, two National Endowment for the Arts Visual Artists Awards, Florsheim Art Foundation Grant, several Yaddo Fellowships, Ossabaw Island Project Fellowship, and two Purchase Awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She was elected to the Union League Club, Chicago; Century Association, New York City; and the National Academy of Design. Ellen is survived by her husband Roland Ginzel, children Lisa Ginzel and Andrew Ginzel (Sarah Walker); grandson Walker Ginzel; brother Richard Lanyon (Marsha Richman); and other nephews and nieces. Ellen was the eldest daughter of the late Howard W. and Ellen M. Lanyon of Chicago. 34"H x 34"W (sight), 35 1/2"H x 35 1/2"W (frame)