Elena Degenhardt SGFA

Biography 

Elena Degenhardt is a Siberia-born German artist, based in Cannes, France, best known for her immersive, large scale waterscapes and underwater figurative works and emotionally charged portraits. Degenhardt’s multicultural background and frequent relocations have influenced the themes she explores through her art: lost (and found) identities, bonds and boundaries, fragility of life and fears, memory and time – while drawing inspiration from her profound connection to the sea. Youth art school graduate and two university degrees holder in philology and linguistics, Degenhardt became full-time artist in 2017, studying with with Jo Hall (pastel), Gareth Reid (portraiture) and Jesmond Vassallo (life figure drawing). Her application of pastel and charcoal in a painterly way, in wet-on-wet technique, on unusual painting surfaces (including product packaging), together with the emotional impact of her work, has brought her international recognition and awards, including the most recent Prix Pastel Sennelier 2025 at the Salon des Artistes Français, Grand Palais, Paris, and BoldBrush Award 2024. She was shortlisted for the Ruth Borchard Self Portrait Prize 2023, UK. Signature Pastelist of the Pastel Society of America and Master Pastelist in the International Association of Pastel Societies, Degenhardt has shown her work extensively in national and international curated, invitational and juried gallery and museum exhibitions, including the Mall Galleries, London, UK; Salon des Artistes Français, Le Grand Palais, Paris; Ostwall Museum at Dortmunder U, Germany; The Atkinson Art Museum, Southport, UK; Zhou B Art Center, Chicago and Salmagundi Club, NYC, USA. Featured in Fine Art Connoisseur, American Art Collector, Pastel Journal, PoetsArtists publications, Artists&Illustrators and Pratique des Arts, her art is part of the Lunar Codex Project and private collections throughout Europe, USA, Canada and Australia.