Barbara Ernst Prey

Barbara was appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the National Council on the Arts, the advisory board to the National Endowment for the Arts. Members are chosen for their widely recognized knowledge of the arts and their established record of distinguished service or achievement in the arts. . Her paintings are in some of the most important collections worldwide including The Brooklyn Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Kennedy Space Center, The New York Historical Society, Hood Museum Dartmouth College, the Bush Presidential Library and Center and the White House, where she is one of two living female artists in the collection. Barbara was honored with a major retrospective exhibit in Paris curated by Sarah Cash, currently Curator at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. Her painting for the official White House Christmas Card, commissioned by the President is part of the White House permanent collection. NASA commissioned Barbara to paint four paintings for their permanent collection. The x-43, the fastest aircraft in the world, is part of the NASA|Art: 50 Years of Exploration exhibit organized by the Smithsonian Museum which travels to twelve museums nationwide. In addition to the Columbia Tribute, her painting of the International Space Station and Discovery Shuttle Return to Flight are on permanent display at the Kennedy Space Center. Since 2004 she has been an artistic ambassador with the State Department’s Arts in Embassies program with exhibits in American Embassies in Paris, Madrid, Prague, Oslo and Hong Kong. Her artwork is included in over thirty Embassies and Consulates worldwide. and is the recipient of numerous honors and awards”. She is the recipient of numerous honors and awards including The New York State Senate “Women of Distinction Award”. She joins previous honorees Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman and Eleanor Roosevelt. The Women of Distinction program was created as a tribute to outstanding New York women. Raynham Hall Museum honored Barbara at their annual Gala for her accomplishments and contribution to American Art as has The Heckscher Museum of Art in 2011. She graduated from Williams College with honors in Art History and earned a masters degree from Harvard University. She received a Fulbright Scholarship and a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, enabling her to travel, study, work and exhibit extensively in Europe and Asia. She is a frequent lecturer and had spoken at The National Gallery of Art, The Metropolitan Museum, The Corcoran Gallery of Art and at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. Barbara has illustrated a number of books and for many years her artwork appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Gourmet Magazine, Good Housekeeping and other publications. She is adjunct faculty at Williams College. She is currently commissioned by MASS MoCA to paint a monumental watercolor for their new building which opens in 2017. For more information - email:studio@barbaraprey.com website: www.barbaraprey.com.