Véronique Ellena French, b. 1966
Véronique Ellena is attentive to everything that gives everyday life its poetry and depth. The simple beauty of the world around us lies at the heart of her concerns.
Her work explores the place of human beings within society, the environment and its symbolism, and our relationship to art and spirituality.
Education
Véronique Ellena studied photography at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de La Cambre in Brussels, in Gilbert Fastenaekens’s studio
Solo Exhibitions (selected)
- Mains d’œuvre, Hangar Gallery, Brussels & PhotoDays, Paris, 2026
- Retrospective, Musée Réattu, Arles, 2018
Group Exhibitions (selected)
- Chambre noire, toile blanche, Musée d’Art Moderne de Fontevraud, 2026
- The Pulse of Life, 10th Daegu Biennale, 2025
- In Portrait, Sungkok Art Museum, Seoul, 2025
- Presence of the Past, House of European History, Brussels, 2026
- Ouvrir les yeux, Les Abattoirs, Musée – Frac Occitanie, Toulouse, 2025
- Mémoires intimes, Bourg-en-Bresse, 2024
Awards & Residencies
Véronique Ellena received the Prix de l’Intelligence et de la Main from the Fondation Bettencourt Schueller in 2015, following the creation of the Millennium stained-glass window for Strasbourg Cathedral with master glassmaker Pierre-Alain Parot.
In 2007, she received the Prix de Rome and became a resident at the Villa Medici. That same year, she was also an artist-in-residence at the Fondation des Treilles.
Collections
Her work is held in numerous public collections, including the Centre Georges Pompidou and FRAC Île-de-France, as well as in private collections including the Florence & Damien Bachelot Collection and the Christian Lacroix Collection.
Publications
- Véronique Ellena Rétrospective, Silvana Editoriale, 2018
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Mains d'oeuvre - Véronique Ellena
Extended by appointment until June 14th 10 Apr - 14 Jun 2026Mains d’œuvre * is a photographic series that explores the world of workers and craftspeople in training. Véronique Ellena has always paid close attention to those who are rarely seen,...Read more -
Apparitions - Group show
15 Nov - 21 Dec 2024After participating in the Paris Photo and Approche fairs, Hangar Gallery opens its first group show in Brussels. These 9 photographers explore the boundaries of the medium and the materiality...Read more
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Véronique Ellena / MAC Créteil
200LUX EXPO 19.09.26-19.12.26 18 Sep 2026As part of the 200LUX exhibition, bringing together festivals that are members of the Réseau LUX, Photo Days has invited Véronique Ellena to present her...Read more -
Véronique Ellena / Musée Réattu - Les Rencontres d'Arles
Christian Lacroix, collectionneur de photographie - 06.07 - 04.10.2026Several of Véronique Ellena' s works, which are part of Christian Lacroix’s collection, will be on display in the exhibition Christian Lacroix — Photography collector...Read more -
Véronique Ellena / Musée d'art moderne de Fontevraud
"Chambre noire, toile blanche" - 06.06 - 04.10.2026A selection of Véronique Ellena' s photographs and works on glass are featured in the extensive exhibition Chambre noire, toile blanche ; Photography vs. Painting...Read more -
Véronique Ellena / Musée Paul Dini
18.10.25 - 22.02.2026 / Villefrance-sur-Saône, France 18 Oct 2025Véronique Ellena is delighted to be exhibiting four of her photographs from the Clairs-Obscurs series as part of the Regarder, révéler exhibition, which explores the...Read more -
Véronique Ellena / Daegu Photo Biennale
18.09.25 - 16.11.2025 / Daegu, South Korea 18 Sep 2025Véronique Ellena is part of the DAEGU PHOTOGRAPHY BIENNIAL 2025, at the invitation of Emmanuelle De L'Ecotais, its curator. This edition highlights reflections on the...Read more -
Véronique Ellena / Sungkok Art Museum
16.09.25-07.12.2025 / Seoul, South Korea 16 Sep 2025Véronique Ellena is part of ' 미술관을 기록하다 / In Portrait: Sungkok Art Museum 2025 ' at the Sungkok Art Museum in Seoul. The 30th-anniversary...Read more -
Véronique Ellena / House of European History
29.03.2025 - 11.01.2026 / Brussels, Belgium 28 Mar 2025Véronique Ellena is part of the exhibition Presence of the Past at the House of European History. The exhibition organised by the House of European...Read more
