• Artsy
My paintings and collages are about place, and they take inspiration from landscape, but are not a representation of any specific location. For some time now, many of my images have been purely abstract, expressing in unabashed, exuberant color my enthusiasm for the natural world. I have also begun to investigate collage much more fully, by creating works on paper and other surfaces. My paintings and collages result from a rather intuitive process, and they are built up layer upon layer, with varied colors, expressive strokes of paint, and textured materials. This procedure allows the gradual, but ultimately triumphant, emergence of my art. My artwork welcomes viewers to “enter” these “worlds” by imagination, memory, and reverie.
Sandra Benhaim is a painter working in oil, mixed media, and collages on canvas, wood panels, and paper. She earned a BFA (on a full-paid four year scholarship) and later an M.Ed, from Temple’s Tyler School of Art. After working representationally for years, she now creates mainly abstract images, often expressing these in unabashed, exuberant color. She has exhibited nationally from Washington state to New York to Florida. Sandra’s paintings are in public collections such as PNC Headquarters Tower in Pittsburgh, PA; Mondrian Investments (Philadelphia office); Bryn Mawr Dermatology offices in Villanova, PA; RCCB LLC Law offices collection, Conshohocken, PA. Philadelphia’s Del Frisco’s Grille commissioned a 96”H x 78”W canvas painting, which was installed in November 2018.
1997
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Studio for Advanced Studies Program
1973
Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Elkins Park, PA
M. Ed.
1968
Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Elkins Park, PA
BFA
Honorable Mention, 146th Annual Small Oils Show, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
Third Prize, Small Worlds, The Plastic Club, Philadelphia, PA
Merit Award, Art Of The Flower, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
2014
Wong, Wilson, “A.I.R. At New Century Gallery,” Gallery & Studio, Vol 16 No. 5, p.15
2011
“ABstract EXpressions Contemporary Art Gallery (Mt. Holly, NJ),” An Art Museum A Week
2008
Donohoe, Victoria, “ARTsisters member’ show at Tyme,” Philadelphia Inquirer, July 20, 2008
Large-scale (96" x 78") painting commissioned by Del Frisco's Grille, Philadelphia, PA
AtlantiCare Foundation
Three Paintings selected for permanent installation at the PNC Tower in Pittsburgh, PA
Collection of Mondrian Investment Partners Limited, London and Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
1968 – 1986
Art Specialist Teacher, School District of Philadelphia
2012 - Present
Periodic Workshops & Critiques with Moe Brooker, Christine Lafuente, Stuart Shils & Ken Kewley
2019
Solo Exhibition, Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2018
Solo Exhibition, Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2017
Solo Exhibition, Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2016
Abstract Paintings, InLiquid at the Courtyard by Marriott, Philadelphia, PA
2013
Mixed Media Paintings, Christine Fréchard Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
2010
Calming Colors, Commerce 1 & 2, Philadelphia, PA
2008
Mixed Media Paintings, Balance Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2019
Benhaim and Brunner, InLiquid Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Invitational Exhibition
2010
Spring Painting Show, Abstract Expressions Contemporary Art Gallery, Mt. Holly, NJ
Invitational Exhibition
2024
InLiquid Toasts 25, Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Franks, Philadelphia, PA
Dispatches from Kindred Worlds, The 2024 Summer Member Invitational, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
Small Works, Squared, Old City Jewish Art Center, Philadelphia, PA
The Art of Nature and The Nature of Art, Delaware Museum of Science and Nature, Wilmington, DE
Everyday Futures Fest, Silent Auction and Exhibition, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
Beauty Endures, McNichol Art Gallery, Neumann University, Aston, PA
InLiquid Benefit and Silent Auction, Ice Box Project Space, Philadelphia, PA
2019
Artists' Equity 70th Anniversary Members' Juried Exhibition, GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, Reading, PA
Juried Exhibition
Visual Democracy, Art in City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
Juried Exhibition
2018
Color Explosion, Salus University, Elkins Park, PA
Juried Exhibition
Curator: Elynne Rosenfeld
Transforming Jazz, Art in City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
Juror: Leroy Johnson
2016
Square Foot Art Basel Miami Four, Aqua Art Miami, Aqua Hotel, Miami Beach, FL
Painting Exhibition, Theatre Horizon, Norristown, PA
Invitational Exhibition
In-VISIBLE, Point Park University Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
Juror: John Carson
2015
3rd Annual Juried Exhibition, Cerulean Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Juror: Elizabeth Osborne
2013
HOME: GoggleWorks 2013 Juried Exhibition, GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, Reading, PA
Juror: Genevieve Coutroubis
2010
Diverse Horizons/em>, Widener University, Chester, PA
Curator: Valetta
2009
Three-Person Fall Exhibition, The Gallery of Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, PA
Invitational Exhibition
Inliquid’s 10th Anniversary @ URBN, The Gallery at 543, Philadelphia, PA
*List of exhibitions prior to 2009 can be viewed on www.sandrabenhaim.com