Miriam Ellner

Apart from a brief apprenticeship at the London studio of Frances Binnington, Miriam Ellner underwent no formal training, and mastered the ancient and largely forgotten practice of eglomisé — gilding precious metals on the verso of glass, etching designs thereon, and setting these off with color — entirely on her own. 

Since 1990, the year she started her studio practice, she has become the medium’s foremost practitioner. Deploying its traditional techniques with an incredible variety and precision, and in a wholly unprecedented way, she has practically reinvented their use with each new project and challenge. Both modern and classic, Ellner has executed commissions on ceilings, laminated doors, partitions, window screens, and tables, and has even created entire spaces – including powder rooms and elevator cabs.

Key to all of Ellner’s work is its depth; her focus, opacity and transparency. She composes each piece meticulously, proceeding in what would seem the reverse, so that the first layer applied is that closest to the observer and each successive layer — often as many as twenty made up of materials like metal leaf, mica flakes, and mother of pearl, to name but a few—appear each behind the last. 

As explained in her monograph, “It’s as if what lay behind and within the glass were a whole animate and expansive world, to which we are afforded only a fleeting glimpse. Some parts of the work may be airbrushed so as to create a suggestive, atmospheric effect. Others are highly polished, so that you see yourself reflected in them. In still other areas, you can see right through the glass, so that the space behind the work effectively becomes a part of the image. Tacitly, these varying effects also conjure different associations, alternately calling to mind the veiled, smoky quality of an antique mirror and the graphic impact of a contemporary abstract painting.”

In 2013, Ellner was the recipient of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art’s Arthur Ross Award. In 2014, she was selected to design and create a piece for the Museum of Arts and Design exhibition, NYC Makers: The MAD Biennial, and her Fata Morgana was the exhibit’s highlight. She has been featured in numerous publications, including Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, Galerie, Luxe, and Interior Design.