 Kent Ullberg
Kent Ullberg was born in a small fishing village on Sweden’s North Coast. During his formative years he studied natural history, painting and drawing. While studying art at the Konstfac School of Art in Stockholm, Sweden, he enrolled in a sculpture class and knew immediately that sculpture would be his life’s work.
From 1966-67, Ullberg traveled throughout Europe studying the Old Masters. While in Paris he studied the work of Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), widely recognized as the most important sculptor of the Post-Impressionist era. In late 1967, he followed his childhood dreams to Africa, where he spent seven years working as a safari guide, taxidermist, and later as the Curator of the Botswana National Museum and Art Gallery.
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KENT ULLBERG, sculptor
A native of Sweden, Kent Ullberg is recognized as one of world’s foremost wildlife sculptors. He studied at the Swedish Konstfack University College of Art in Stockholm and at museums in Germany, the Netherlands and France. He lived for seven years in Botswana, Africa and served the last four years there as curator at the Botswana National Museum and Gallery. He has made his home permanently in the United States where he now lives on Padre Island, Corpus Christi, Texas. He also maintains a studio in Loveland, Colorado.
Ullberg is a member of numerous important art organizations that have honored him with many prestigious awards. These include, in New York City: the Allied Artists of America, the National Arts Club, the National Sculpture Society, and the Society of Animal Artists. In 1990 his peers elected him a full academician (NA), thus making him the first wildlife artist since John James Audubon to receive one of the greatest tributes in American art. His memberships outside New York include: the American Society of Marine Artists, the Society of Wildlife Art of the Nations (SWAN) in Sandhurst, UK, and the National Academy of Western Art in Oklahoma City, OK which awarded him the Prix de West, the foremost recognition in western art.
While he has completed hundreds of works on a small scale, he is perhaps best known for the monumental works he has executed for museums and municipalities from Stockholm, Sweden, to Cape Town, S. Africa. His Fort Lauderdale, FL and Omaha, NE installations are the largest wildlife bronze compositions ever done, spanning several city blocks.
In 1993 and once again most recently in 2008, Ullberg received the Henry Hering Medal from the National Sculpture Society for outstanding collaboration between architect and sculptor in a monumental sculpture.
Ullberg’s work has been shown and can be found in major museums and corporate headquarters around the globe, incl: the National Museum of Natural History in Stockholm, Sweden; the Salon d’Automne, Paris, France; the National Gallery in Botswana, Africa; the National Geographic Society, Washington DC; the Exhibition Hall, Beijing, China; the Guildhall, London, UK; and many more. His sculptures can also be found in the private collections of world leaders and celebrities. Most recently his work was added to the collection of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas.
Kent Ullberg is a major supporter of many wildlife conservation efforts. In 1996 he received the Rungius Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the National Museum of Wildlife Art, given to artists, authors and conservationists who have made significant contributions to the interpretation and conservation of wildlife and its habitat.
July 2011.
While on safari in 1974 he met the Director of the Denver Museum of Natural History and later that year moved to Denver, Colorado, to work as the Curator of their new African Hall. After a year of museum work, Ullberg left his curatorial position to pursue sculpture full time. Ullberg’s work has been exhibited all over the world including the National Museum of Natural History in Stockholm, the Salon d’Automne in Paris, and the Peking Museum in China. He is an Associate of the National Academy of Design, and is a member of the National Sculpture Society, the National Academy of Western Art and the American Society of Marine Artists.Utbildning
Konstfack. Utställningar
Ullberg's work has been shown and can be found in major museums and corporate headquarters around the globe, inc. the National Museum of Natural History in Stockholm, Sweden; the Salon d'Automne, Paris, France; the National Gallery in Botswana, Africa; the National Geographic Society, Washington, DC; the Exhibition Hall, Beijing, China; the Guildhall, London, UK; and numerous museums in the U.S.. His sculptures can also be found in the private collections of world leaders and celebrities. Most recently his work was added to the collection of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, TX.
Kent is a major supporter of many wildlife conservation efforts. In 1996 he received the Rungius Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the National Museum of Wildlife Art, given to artists, authors and conservationists who have made significant contributions to the interpretation and conservation of wildlife and its habitat.
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