Rachel Ivanyi

About the artist

Rachel Ivanyi is an award-winning contemporary nature artist, illustrator, and art educator. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from the University of California, Davis, and a Graduate Certification in Natural Science Illustration from the University of California, Santa Cruz. As a Signature Member of Artists for Conservation, her art lives in the hope that people look closer, feel deeper, and make positive changes in their lives and in the lives of others. Her work has been featured in solo, two-person, and group exhibitions, with many of her paintings appearing throughout the U.S. and internationally, as part of permanent museum collections, and in numerous private collections. Her illustration clients include National Geographic, Scientific American, Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Smithsonian, and nature institutions around the world. Rachel has also taught a wide variety of art classes as a core instructor for the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute, in her beloved desert home of Tucson, Arizona, for over 20+ years.

“Ever since I was a young girl, I have tried to communicate with animals. Eventually, I realized that instead of talking to them, I should be listening. Humans often separate themselves from their animal kin and the natural environment. I use magical realism in my art to give non-human animals a voice, encouraging people to think about what divides us – and begin to bridge the gap – by exploring our interconnectedness and their innate worth.” – Rachel Ivanyi

Artwork Themes & Subject Matter

Rachel Ivanyi’s recent exhibitions include Catharsis (healing in art and nature), INVASION! (greedy humans as the true invasive species), and Kindred Spirits: Honoring Animals in Death (highlighting our animal kin killed on the road, and showing they are worthy of our attention and grief). Her art explores these challenging topics, drawing people in and providing them with moments to sit with their feelings and thoughts, and feel empowered to be good stewards of our fragile planet.  

Press

Rachel Ivanyi’s works have been published in notable magazines, online sources, books including  National Geographic Magazine and Scientific American, The Neotenic Queen, and Riverhead Books.

Upcoming Exhibitions

CV

Education

1996 Graduate Certification, Natural Science Illustration, University of California, Santa Cruz, United States

1995 B.S. Zoology, University of California, Davis, United States

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2024

Do You See What I See? The Magical Realism of Rachel Ivanyi, SAPC Gallery, Tucson, AZ. United States

2023

Desert Fables, Art of the Neotenic Queen, Baldwin Gallery, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ. United States

2019

Invasion!, Baldwin Gallery, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ. United States

Selected Group Exhibitions

2023

See also

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PAINTINGANIMAL ARTFIGURATIVE ARTNUDE ARTOILPORTRAITUREREALISM

Courtney Alnutt

Kindred Spirits: Honoring Animals in Death; Amanda Stronza, Rachel Ivanyi, and Hannah Salyer, Ironwood Gallery, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ. United States

Artists for Conservation Juried Exhibition, VanDusen Garden, Vancouver, BC, Canada

People and the Planet, Touchstone Gallery, Washington, D.C. United States

Vaquita Porpoise exhibit, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C. United States

2021

Kindred Spirits: Honoring Animals in Death, Amanda Strona and Rachel Ivanyi, Underland Gallery, Brooklyn, NY. United States

2019

Catharsis, Rachel Ivanyi and Joanna Taylor, Friends Gallery, Tucson Botanical Garden, AZ. United States