A Chicago native, Rudolph Pen graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago and served on its faculty from 1948 until 1963. His long association with the "Institute" included serving as President of the Alumni Association and Director of Oxbow, their summer school of painting. His work has been exhibited in numerous galleries, including Carroll Carstairs Gallery (NYC), The Welna Gallery and The Oehlschlaeger Gallery (Chicago). Pen is the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including a Huntington Hartford Foundation Grant, an award from the National Academy of Design in New York City and the Art Institute of Chicago's prestigious Joseph Ryerson Fellowship. The work of Rudolph Pen may be seen in public collections (The Library of Congress, The Vincent Price Collection, The Davenport Museum, Art Institute of Chicago) as well as in private collections throughout America. Pen's work embraces a large variety of subject matter, broadened by his extensive travel in Europe, South America, North Africa and Mexico. His subjects include landscapes, seascapes, horse races, boat races, dancers and musicians as well as medical, religious and political works. As a courtroom artist, Pen's work was often seen on TV during a particularly exciting time in Chicago's history. He worked in a wide range of media including oil, acrylic, watercolor, ink, charcoal and pastel. He was a member of the American Watercolor Society and his watercolors have been particularly noted for their beauty and technical mastery.