About Kent Ullberg

Kent Ullberg’s journey as an artist has a beginning in the seaside town of Gothenburg, Sweden. Ullberg often accompanied his father, a seaman and a landscape painter, on field trips. The experience ignited a commitment to the environment and wildlife that has lasted a lifetime. There were numerous events before the journey would bring him to Padre Island, Texas, where he has become one of the most recognized American wildlife sculptors of the late 20th century. Kent followed his Swedish ancestors, and joined the Merchant Marines, sailing to ports-of-call along the South American coastline. Returning to Sweden, he studied at the Swedish Konstack School of Art in Stockholm. While he studied, he supported himself by doing taxidermy, anatomical sculpture, and skeleton cleaning. Ullberg credits these jobs with providing him with a broad understanding of animal anatomy. With a Bachelor of Science Degree in museumology, he found a taxidermy job in Botswana, Africa. Kent Ullberg’s journey was a successful journey for sure!

Ullberg is a member of numerous art organizations and has been honored with many prestigious awards. In 1990 his peers elected him a Full Academician (NA), thus making him the first wildlife artist since John James Audubon to receive one of the greatest tributes in American art. A selection of his memberships include the National Sculpture Society; the American Society of Marine Art; the Allied Artists of America; Nature in Art, Sandhurst, UK; the National Academy of Western Art in Oklahoma City, OK which awarded him the Prix de West, the foremost recognition in Western Art. In 2010 he received the Briscoe Legacy Award and in 2016 the lifetime achievement award from the Society of Animal Artists.

Kent Ullberg, b. 1945, Gothenburg, Sweden. A native of Sweden, Kent Ullberg is duly noted as one of world’s foremost wildlife sculptors. He studied at the Swedish University College of Art in Stockholm. Additionally he worked at museums in Germany, the Netherlands and France.