Tanya Ragir

Tanya Ragir was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. By the time she was fifteen, Tanya was drawing, sculpting, and studying anatomy, which included sketching cadavers at the USC medical center. She also studied many forms of dance: modern, jazz and ballet. She was performing in a ballet company before attending college. Tanya graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 1976 with a B.A. in Art and Dance.

After graduating, Tanya ventured into the mannequin industry, a field in which she excelled and worked commercially for 25 years. Tanya opened her own mannequin business, sculpting over 1000 figures and mastering the human form. During this time, Tanya continued to produce fine art.

Over the course of her career, Tanya’s artwork has ranged from classical to avant-garde, always evolving and morphing in response to the climactic events of her life. The feminine form is a constant presence in her work, as is movement. Different bodies of work have explored the expansion of feminine energy in different directions, both internal and external, personal and allegorical.

Tanya’s sculptural work has been internationally collected and resides in permanent collections at various museums as well as private collections. Tanya lives and works in West Los Angeles, where she maintains a thriving studio practice as well as an intimate circle of students, friends and peers.

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