Ellen Lanyon
Painter and Printmaker

Born 1926 in Chicago, painter and printmaker, Ellen Lanyon, now lives and works in New York City. In 1950, she completed a Master of Fine Arts degree under the influence of Mauricio Lasansky. After she completed her MFA, Lanyon did not print again until she began working with Landfall Press and later Anchor Press. She worked as Lasansky’s secretary for Iowa Print Group. Lanyon is also a product of Chicago, both its art resources and intellectual and textural foundations. From 1944 to 1948 she attended the School of Art Institute of Chicago where she studied lithography with Max Kahn. In 1947 the win by her painting Elevated Nite caused protest. This inspired Exhibition Momentum in 1948 formulated with her friends Leon Golub and Nancy Spero. Her efforts helped the developing arts scene in Chicago at this time drawing major attention from New York critics, curators and artists. Her Fulbright was in 1950 at the Courtauld.