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Acclaimed Artist Inka Essenhigh to Deliver Distinguished Alumnus Lecture at New York's School of Visual Arts

NEW YORK, Feb. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alumni Society of School of Visual Arts (SVA) will welcome acclaimed artist Inka Essenhigh (MFA 1994 Fine Arts) as part of the Distinguished Alumnus Lecture Series. Widely praised for her unique vision and color sense, Essenhigh is influenced by the surrealists, the symbolists and comic book art to create mystical landscapes populated by hybrid creatures. The event takes place on Thursday, March 3, 2011, 7pm at the SVA Theatre, 333 West 23 Street, New York City. Admission is free and open to the public.

Born in Belfonte, Pennsylvania, Inka Essenhigh received a BFA from the Columbus College of Art & Design in 1991 and earned her MFA in Fine Arts at SVA in 1994. She had her first New York solo exhibition in 1997 and first came to prominence for paintings depicting cartoonish figures floating on monochromatic backgrounds that helped to resurrect the public's interest in figurative painting through their graphic narratives. Her work has been shown at The Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami; the Weatherspoon Art Museum at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro; and the Contemporary Art Museum of Virginia. Essenhigh's work is held in the collections of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo; Denver Art Museum; MoMA PS1, New York; Tate Gallery, London; Saatchi Gallery, London; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. She has had solo exhibitions at 303 Gallery, New York; Victoria Miro Gallery, London; and Mary Boone Gallery, New York. Essenhigh is represented by 303 Gallery, New York, and Victoria Miro Gallery, London.

Recent speakers in the Distinguished Alumnus Lecture series at SVA include: Kate Gilmore, Patrick McDonnell, Elizabeth Peyton, Dash Shaw and Marianne Vitale.

School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City is an established leader and innovator in the education of artists. From its inception in 1947, the faculty has been comprised of professionals working in the arts and art-related fields. SVA provides an environment that nurtures creativity, inventiveness and experimentation, enabling students to develop a strong sense of identity and a clear direction of purpose.

SOURCE School of Visual Arts