Sanja Balen was born on 14.10.1963 in Zagreb.

In 1982. she graduated from the School of Applied Arts and Design in Zagreb, the department of painting.
She studied in the painting department at the Academy of Arts in Zagreb from which she graduated in 1986.
In 1988. she was a guest-student at the Academy of Arts, in Karlsruhe, Germany.

From 1994.-1998. she taught drawing and painting at the School for Applied Arts and Design in Zagreb.
She worked as a freelance artist in Amsterdam, the Netherlands from 1998.-2008.

Her work has been exhibited several times in Croatia, Slovenia, Germany and the Netherlands.

She now lives in Zagreb, working as an art teacher at the School for Applied Arts and Design.

Her recent work dates from 1986-2013. and consists of cityscapes of Amsterdam and Zagreb, human figures in interiors, and portraits, executed in pastel, acrylic and oil on canvas.

She also does personal portraits to order in various techniques.

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Sanja Balen rođena je 14.10.1963 godine u Zagrebu.

1982. godine zavrsila je Školu primijenjene umjetnosti u Zagrebu, slikarski odjel.

1986. godine diplomirala je slikarstvo na Akademiji likovnih umjetnosti u Zagrebu, u klasi prof. V. Jordana.

Godine 1988. bila je gost – student na Akademie der bildende Kunste – Karlsruhe, Njemačka, kod prof. Kuchenmeistera.

Od 1994. do 1998. godine predavala je slikarstvo u Školi primijenjene umjetnosti i dizajna u Zagrebu.

Od 1998. do 2008. godine živjela je i radila kao slobodni umjetnik u Amsterdamu, Nizozemska.

Od 2008. ponovno radi u Školi primijenjene umjetnosti i dizajna kao profesor crtanja i slikanja i pisma.

Od 1986. godine član HDLU-a.