Ross Bleckner (b. 1949, New York City) emerged as a leading figure in the New York art scene during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. His work explores themes of change, loss, memory, and the fragility of the body through immersive paintings that move between abstraction and representation. Known for his luminous cellular forms, stripes, and figurative motifs, Bleckner’s paintings evoke a contemporary memento mori. He is the youngest artist to have received a midcareer retrospective at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and his work is held in major museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art.