Eleanor Ekserdjian, born in 1996, stands out among young contemporary artists for her practice of merging film, drawing, and emotion. As a British painter and film artist, she projects cinema onto canvas, transforming it into feeling.
By projecting moving images onto paper or canvas and drawing over them, she channels her immediate physical and emotional responses into gestural marks. Her works appear alive, capturing the emotions present during their creation.
Quick Bio
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Eleanor Ekserdjian |
| Date of Birth / Age | 1996 (Age 29, as of 2025) |
| Birthplace | United Kingdom (exact location not publicly specified) |
| Nationality | British |
| Height / Hair / Eye Color | Not publicly disclosed |
| Education | MA (Hons) Fine Art, University of Edinburgh (2019); Royal Drawing School, London |
| Profession | Painter, Film Artist, Writer |
| Family | Daughter of Professor David Ekserdjian and art critic Susan Moore |
| Relationship | In a relationship with artist and royal family member Samuel Chatto |
| Net Worth (Estimated) | Not publicly available; moderate professional artist income |
| Known For | Innovative technique of projecting film onto canvas and drawing over it |
Early Life & Education
Eleanor Ekserdjian was born in 1996 into a household where art was more than decoration — it was dialogue. Her father, Professor David Ekserdjian, is a distinguished art historian and academic who has worked with major British institutions, including the National Gallery and the Tate. Her mother, Susan Moore, is a respected art critic and writer. Growing up surrounded by artworks, exhibition catalogues, and art-world discussions, Eleanor’s earliest memories likely included gallery visits and sketchbooks.
Though the details of her childhood are private, her later artistic sensibilities — combining intellect with emotion, theory with gesture — suggest a thoughtful upbringing steeped in creativity. Her parents’ professions introduced her to both classical and contemporary art, teaching her to look, question, and express.
Eleanor completed an MA (Hons) in Fine Art in 2019 at the University of Edinburgh, a key turning point that exposed her to both critical theory and technical experimentation. Even as a student, her final-year works revealed her distinct focus on movement and emotion.
She later trained at The Royal Drawing School in London, known for its emphasis on observational drawing and artistic discipline. This experience honed her technical control and strengthened the gestural confidence that now defines her mark-making.
Personal & Family Life
Eleanor’s family background is both intellectual and artistic. Her father, David Ekserdjian, is a professor of Art and Film History and a specialist in Renaissance painting. Her mother, Susan Moore, contributes regularly to art magazines and newspapers, making the Ekserdjian household a sort of mini–art academy.
As of 2025, Eleanor is in a relationship with Samuel Chatto, an artist and craftsman who is also the grandson of Princess Margaret, the late sister of Queen Elizabeth II. Samuel is the son of Lady Sarah Chatto, a cousin of King Charles III. The couple reportedly met through mutual art-world connections and shares an interest in sustainable craftsmanship and contemporary art.
Media outlets such as The South China Morning Post and The California Courier have featured Eleanor, calling her “Samuel Chatto’s stunning artist girlfriend.” The pair sparked engagement rumors after reportedly spending Christmas 2024 at Sandringham Estate with members of the royal family.
Despite the tabloid attention, Eleanor has remained remarkably grounded and private. There is no public record of marriage or children, and she rarely discusses her personal life, preferring to let her work speak for itself.
Career Journey
Finding Her Voice
Eleanor’s creative path has been one of experimentation and refinement. Her earliest works combined drawing and moving imagery, a process that began during her studies in Edinburgh. Instead of treating film as an external subject, she used it as a collaborator.
By projecting film sequences directly onto her working surface and drawing over them, Eleanor responds instinctively to light, rhythm, and movement. Each drawing documents her direct emotional response to the moving image.
This technique turns the act of drawing into a live performance — an interplay between what she sees and what she feels. The rapid marks, sometimes aggressive, sometimes tender, reveal the fleeting tension between stillness and movement, memory and experience.
Exhibitions & Recognition
After graduating in 2019, Ekserdjian began exhibiting across the UK and abroad. She gained early attention through the following shows and projects:
- 2019 – Degree Show, University of Edinburgh: Her graduate works established her experimental approach and emotional range.
- 2021 – “Light & Line,” Gallery 286 (London): Featured her work I Know Where I’m Going!, which blended ink, film projection, and expressive mark-making.
- 2022 – Im Ser Foundation (Yerevan, Armenia): A six-week residency where she explored themes of cultural identity and diaspora through landscape imagery.
- 2023 – “Light Pictures,” Seen Fifteen Gallery (London): Examined her continuing dialogue between cinema and drawing.
- 2023 – ‘International Diaspora Exhibition,” Armenian Centre for Contemporary Experimental Art: A reflection on heritage, displacement, and collective memory.
- 2024 – “Crosscurrents Armenia | London,” Redfern Gallery (London): Featured works, including Fear Eats the Soul, showcasing her integration of emotional abstraction and narrative gesture.
Eleanor’s work has also been represented by Messums Wiltshire and other contemporary galleries, cementing her position as one of the UK’s emerging young artists to watch.
In addition to her studio practice, she occasionally contributes as a writer on art and film, publishing essays and reviews in cultural magazines such as The Article and Standpoint. This balance of practice and reflection echoes her family’s intellectual tradition — a harmony of theory and creativity.
Life Challenges & Turning Points
While no significant controversies or crises have marked her public life, Eleanor’s journey has been shaped by quieter struggles — the kind that define many serious artists.
Working at the intersection of film and drawing is technically demanding and emotionally exposing. It requires not only artistic precision but vulnerability — allowing one’s immediate feelings to shape the work.
Her career shifted meaningfully when she embraced her Armenian heritage, especially during the time spent in Yerevan. This experience allowed her art to grapple more deeply with themes of displacement, belonging, and memory—strengthening her personal and universal narratives.
Another turning point — albeit external — has been her unexpected visibility due to her relationship with a royal. While this brought her name into lifestyle and society pages, it also risked overshadowing her artistry. Yet Eleanor’s grounded demeanor and continued artistic focus suggest she is steering her career on her own terms.
Current Life & Work (as of 2025)
Now based between London and occasional residencies abroad, Eleanor continues to evolve her distinctive approach. Her most recent exhibitions at the Redfern Gallery and Messums Wiltshire show growing technical maturity and a strong emotional voice.
Eleanor’s current work explores memory, temporality, and the body through the interplay of film and drawing. She uses projected images as sources of live energy, not static references, treating light as both subject and medium.
Professionally, she remains represented in both commercial and experimental gallery circuits. Her pieces have begun entering private collections, and her name appears in international art-market databases such as MutualArt and Artsy.
Away from the studio, she still writes occasionally about cinema and art — a reminder that her passion for the moving image extends beyond the visual into the analytical.
Net Worth & Financial Status
As of 2025, Eleanor Ekserdjian’s net worth is not publicly documented. Given her age and stage in her career, she is best described as a working artist earning income from:
- Artwork sales through galleries and commissions
- Residencies and grants
- Occasional art and film writing
Despite her links to the Chatto family, Eleanor pursues an independent, modest lifestyle that reflects her commitment to her art rather than to celebrity.
Public Image & Media Presence
In the art world, Eleanor is admired as a thoughtful and experimental visual artist — someone who bridges disciplines rather than fitting neatly into one. Her work is celebrated for its sincerity, intensity, and hybrid sensibility.
In the mainstream media, however, she has gained attention for her relationship with Samuel Chatto. Publications such as SCMP and The California Courier have featured her in lifestyle sections, often describing her as a “muse” or “artist girlfriend.”
Despite this attention, she remains relatively private and grounded. Her social media footprint is minimal, and she rarely engages in public commentary. She appears to prefer a quiet life focused on creation — an approach that enhances rather than diminishes her mystique.
Her public persona, therefore, balances serious artist and quietly intriguing public figure — someone whose individuality shines in both art galleries and lifestyle headlines.
Fun Facts & Little-Known Details
- Unique Creative Process: Eleanor’s technique of drawing over projected film images allows her to “paint with emotion in real time.” The process is almost performative — part painting, part choreography.
- Heritage Exploration: In 2023, she spent several weeks in Armenia creating works inspired by her ancestral landscape — turning heritage into an artistic dialogue.
- Artistic Couple: Both Eleanor and Samuel Chatto are artists — he in ceramics, she in painting — creating a rare creative partnership that merges contemporary practice with British tradition.
- Art Critic by Lineage: With a father and mother deeply embedded in art history, she represents a new generation carrying forward a family legacy in the visual arts.
- Literary Streak: Beyond the studio, she is an occasional art journalist — proof that her creativity extends into words as much as images.
Conclusion
Eleanor Ekserdjian represents the modern artist in her most valid form — expressive, interdisciplinary, and authentic. From her family roots steeped in art history to her own bold practice that transforms moving images into tactile emotion, her journey embodies creativity as conversation — between the past and present, the personal and collective.
At only 29, she has already forged a recognizable visual identity and a growing international presence. Yet her story is still unfolding. Whether she is drawing from a projected film, exploring her heritage in Armenia, or balancing a quiet, creative life with unexpected public curiosity, Eleanor continues to chart a path that is both intimate and visionary.
In a world of digital perfection and polished surfaces, she brings something refreshingly human — the immediacy of touch, the honesty of emotion, and the courage to let art remain beautifully imperfect.
(FAQs)
Who is Eleanor Ekserdjian?
Eleanor Ekserdjian is a British painter and film artist known for her experimental process of projecting film onto paper or canvas and drawing over it, translating motion into expressive mark-making.
When was she born?
She was born in 1996, making her 29 years old as of 2025.
Is she married or dating anyone?
She is in a relationship with artist Samuel Chatto, grandson of Princess Margaret, though the two are not publicly confirmed to be married.
What is her profession now?
Eleanor is a full-time artist and occasional writer, with work exhibited in London and internationally.
What is her net worth?
No reliable public estimate exists. As an emerging artist, her income primarily comes from art sales, commissions, and writing.