The Georgia Historical Society presented artist Ross Rossin of Atlanta with the John Macpherson Berrien Award for a lifetime of achievement in the field of Georgia history and for outstanding service to the Georgia Historical Society (GHS). The presentation was introduced by John O’Neil, President of the Rotary Club of Atlanta, and the award was presented by Walter M. “Sonny” Deriso, Jr., Chairman of the GHS Board of Curators, and Dr. W. Todd Groce, President and CEO of the Society.

“It is a pleasure to present this award to such a deserving individual,” said Dr. Groce. “Rossin is being recognized for the way in which he has used the medium of art and his extraordinary talent and keen insight into the human condition to interpret and teach history. Not only has he brought the stories and people of the past to life, but the portraits and sculpture of present-day Georgians he has created will serve as a primary source by which the future will understand and appreciate the impact and legacy of those leaders living today.”

Ross Rossin is the owner of Rossin Fine Art Portrait Commissions in Atlanta. He has established his reputation as one of the world’s leading portrait painters. His clientele includes a wide range of leaders in politics, business, science, history and the arts. His work can be found in various government institutions, museums, and private collections around the world. Rossin’s portrait of Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush hangs in the first President Bush’s Library and Museum. He has also painted portraits of many prominent Georgians, including President Jimmy Carter, Ambassador Andrew Young, and Governor Sonny Perdue. Rossin sculpted the bust of Vince Dooley for the GHS Dooley Distinguished Teaching Fellows program.

The Bulgarian-born artist and his family relocated to the United States in 2001. Rossin received his classical training in painting in his native Bulgaria. He attended the prestigious Sofia High School of Fine Arts and in 1990 he received his M.A. from The Sofia Academy of Fine Arts.

The John Macpherson Berrien Award is named in memory of the Georgia Historical Society’s first president and Attorney General of the United States under President Andrew Jackson. The Berrien Award was created to recognize a lifetime of achievement in the field of history and signal contribution toward the Society’s mission to collect, teach, and promote research about Georgia and American history. Past recipients include such distinguished Georgians as Malcolm Bell, Jr., Savannah; Edward J. Cashin, Augusta; Craig Barrow III, Savannah; John C. Inscoe, Ph.D., Athens; Bill Jones III, Sea Island; Beverly “Bo” DuBose III, Atlanta, and Shell and Wyck Knox, Augusta.

The award was presented at the May 13 meeting of the Rotary Club of Atlanta where Rossin is a member.