Cornelis Ruhtenberg

With roots in northern Europe, training in Germany, early artistic success in New York, and sojourns in Pennsylvania and Italy, the late Cornelis Ruhtenberg was unquestionably one of the Midwest's most creative and distinguished artists.

Her portraits, still-life studies, and figure compositions follow a realist tradition centuries old, yet evolve beyond patterns to speak directly to contemporary viewers. These expressions offer a distinctive and uncommon harmony, elegance, and imagination.

That her work holds broad appeal in subject matter and excellence of execution is evident by the long list of permanent collections and major museums owning it. From the Berlin Museum in Germany, to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., to the Palm Springs Art Center, to the Springfield Museum of Art in Missouri, the Des Moines Art Center, Oklahoma City Museum, Denver Art Museum and to the Sheldon Memorial Gallery in Lincoln, Nebraska, Ruhtenberg's paintings fascinate viewers of various ages and cultural backgrounds.

Critic Diane Cochrane in American Artist compared Ruhtenberg's paintings to music and to Chinese painting. Nick Baldwin, late critic for the Register & Tribune, noted Ruhtenberg's search for inner truth. Years later, Register reviewer Eliot Nusbaum noted her quest for "Beauty and Power." Working to express images that reveal internal essences and to "create something where nothing existed before," Ruhtenberg finds, fosters, and celebrates beauty. And one might add, not only beauty but also the power of order and goodness.

RED FLOWERS WITH BLUE BACKGROUND Oil on paper 26 x 22 $500.00	KITCHEN UTENSIL STILL LIFE Oil on paper 25 x 32 $700.00
RECLINING II Acrylic on board 19 x 31 $2500.00	UNTITLED (135) Acrylic on board 32 x 18 $2500.00
UNTITLED STILL LIFE Acrylic on board 36 x 24 $2500.00	STILL LIFE WITH COOKING UTENSILS Acrylic on board 24 x 36 $2500.00
HAIRCUT I Acrylic on canvas 76 x 30 $5500.00	WOMAN IN RED JACKET Acrylic on paper 32 x 28 $1750.00
WOMAN IN BLUE BLOUSE Acrylic on paper 30 x 24 $750.00	BOY IN RED COAT Acrylic on paper 39 x 24 $2000.00
TABLE STILL LIFE Acrylic on paper 44 x 30 $2000.00	FIGURE WITH ARM ON HEAD Acrylic on linen 48 x 18 $3000.00
DEATH, FIRE Acrylic on linen 60 x 72 $12,500.00	GREEN COUPLE SITTING Acrylic on linen 70 X 50 $12,000.00
FISH Acrylic on board 30 x 24 $2500.00	RECLINING Acrylic on linen 46 x 26 $3500.00
STILL LIFE 1980 Acrylic on board 24 x 36 $2500.00	YOUNG WOMAN Acrylic on board 36 x 24 $2500.00
STILL LIFE WITH GREEN VASE Acrylic on linen 26 x 16 $2000.00	WOMAN WITH MOBILE Acrylic on linen 38 x 18 $3000.00
DOMINOES Acrylic on linen 30 x 48 $4000.00	A SHRINE TO ART I Acrylic 32 x 24 $2500.00
A SHRINE TO ART III Acrylic 24 x 22 $2500.00	LIFE, EARTH Acrylic 60 x 90 $12500.00
WOMAN WITH BIRD Acrylic on linen 36 x 48 $4000.00	UNTITLED (74) Acrylic 40 x 36 $3500.00
WOMAN WITH TEETER TOY Acrylic on linen 50 x 36 $4500.00	SEATED YOUNG WOMAN Acrylic 33 x 24 $2500.00
JULIE Acrylic 10 x 8 $600.00	STILL LIFE WITH RED AND BLUE Acrylic on panel 36 x 24 $2000.00
FALLEN STREAMER II Acrylic 24 x 34 $2500.00	BASKET Acrylic on paper 30 x 22 $1500.00
STILL LIFE WITH RED TABLE & STREAMER I Acrylic 60 x 26 $4000.00	PEONIES Acrylic on linen 24 x 30 $2500