Ursula von Rydingsvärd, née Karoliszyn, was born in Lower Saxony. Her parents were deported to Germany during the Second World War and when the war ended, the family was placed in a refugee camp. Thanks to the American Marshall Plan and Catholic agencies, Ursula settled in Plainville, Connecticut with her parents and six siblings in the 1950s.

She obtained a master's degree from two universities - the University of Miami in Coral Globes, Florida and later Colombia in New York. In 1965 she married Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist Paul Greengard, but the couple separated.

Her sculptures can be seen in galleries and museums throughout the United States. The artist is inspired by nature, the art of Africa, Australia and Oceania, as well as traditional folk sculpture, particularly from the Podhale region - she usually creates her sculptures in cedar wood.

In Poland, the artist's exhibitions have been held at the Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw, the Centre for Polish Sculpture in Orońsko, the National Museum in Krakow and the Royal Łazienki Park in Warsaw. In September 2021, she was awarded the Gold Medal for 'Merit to Culture Gloria Artis'.