Ella Kruglyanskaya’s paintings explore the play between foreground and background, figuration and abstraction, often featuring recurring odalisque figures that oscillate between humor and self-awareness. With bold graphic lines, precise color fields, and carefully staged compositions, she turns classical art historical motifs into contemporary visual puns. Her works invite viewers to question the conventions of representation and the constructed nature of images, while celebrating the flatness and materiality of the painted surface.
Kruglyanskaya’s work has been exhibited internationally, including solo presentations at Tate Liverpool, UK (2016); Ella Kruglyanskaya, Bonner Kunstverein, Germany (2018); and Fenix, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, New York (2019). Recent projects include Backgrounds at Contemporary Fine Arts, Basel (2025) and participation in Max Beckmann in Dialogue at Contemporary Fine Arts, Berlin (2019).
Courtesy Contemporary Fine Arts.

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