Philip Orenstein is an American artist and Professor Emeritus of Art at Rutgers University, New York. He was one of the first artists to make inflatable sculptures and was part of the New York pop art scene in the 1960s.

Orenstein was born in Paris and emigrated to the United States in 1949. He attended New York University’s College of Engineering before transferring to Rutgers University, New Jersey to study physics in 1957. He had enjoyed drawing and painting from early age and during his studies at Rutgers, took an introductory course in art history. At this time, he was introduced to painter and performance artist, Allan Kaprow (1927-2006) who was part of a group of artists including Jim Dine (1935-) and Claus Oldenburg (1929-2022) that were rebelling against Abstract Expressionism. It was Kaprow who encouraged Orenstein to become an artist.

In 1962, his paintings and sculptures were first shown at ‘Killer Storm’, a gallery he co-founded in New York with sculptor Steve Vasey. He first had the idea to produce inflatable sculptures after helping Vasey to carry heavy sculptures upstairs from their gallery and originally set out to make figurative pieces. He experimented with different forms and processes and soon realised that simpler, square shapes would be more achievable. His variations on an inflatable pillow were first exhibited at ‘Ten from Rutgers’ (1965, Bianchini Gallery, New York) and at ‘Abstract Inflationism; Stuffed Expressionism’ (1966, Graham Gallery, New York). The pillows were often displayed suspended from the ceiling and were printed in a variety of colours and designs.

Orenstein co-founded Mass Air Inc with businessman Sujan Souri, Ecuadorian-American Dorian Dodoy and Cuban artist Waldo Diaz-Balart. Mass Air’s mission was to make art accessible by bypassing the gallery system to commission designs from contemporary artists for mass production. The first products produced in their factory were Orenstein’s designs for inflatable pillows and tote bags which were sold through local shops and department stores.

In 1966, he designed an inflatable bed which was exhibited as part of George Nelson’s touring show of the Soviet Union, ‘Industrial Design USA’ (1967). His ‘Massaire Chair’ (Series 5000), inspired by a George Nelson chair, was designed in 1967. Orenstein also collaborated with artists Christo, Jeanne-Claude and architect Larry Medlin on the monumental '5600 Cubic Meter Package' (1967-68, Kassel, Germany) a site-specific column of air-filled synthetic fabric.

In 1971, Orenstein left New York and returned to Rutgers to study for a Master of Fine Art (M. F. A.) and pursue an academic career. Now retired, he continues to work as an artist and creates prints, drawings and large-scale murals.