Robert Wallace Ellis ONZM (Northampton, England, 2 April 1929 – Auckland, New Zealand, 23 November 2021) was a British-born New Zealand painter and educator whose work explored themes of urbanisation, colonisation, and cultural identity. Before emigrating to New Zealand, Ellis served in the Royal Air Force Bomber Command as an aerial photographer (1947–1949), an experience that shaped his visual vocabulary and compositional approach.

Educated at the Northampton School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London (1949–1953), Ellis moved to Auckland in 1957 to take up a teaching position at the Elam School of Fine Arts, where he later became Professor Emeritus. His early paintings, including the Motorway Series (1963–1974), depicted abstracted cityscapes and arterial networks, reflecting the rapid infrastructural development of post-war New Zealand. These works combined graphic immediacy with painterly depth, often viewed from an aerial perspective.

From the 1980s onward, Ellis’s practice evolved to incorporate Maori symbolism, Anglican iconography, and bicultural themes, influenced by his marriage to artist Elizabeth Aroha Mountain (Ngapuhi, Ngati Porou) and mentorship from master carver Pine Taiapa. His later works, including commissions for Auckland Airport and the Aotea Centre, exemplify his integration of spirituality, pattern, and landscape.

Ellis held over 60 solo exhibitions in New Zealand and internationally. His work is represented in major public collections including the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki and Te Papa Tongarewa. In 2001, he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to fine arts.