Daniel Greene, N.A. studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati from 1944-46, and the Art Students League of New York from 1953-55. Greene is a former instructor of painting at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League of New York. He is the author of "Pastel" that was in print for 25 years and "The Art of Pastel," which were published in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Chinese. In 1969, Mr. Greene was elected to the National Academy of Design.

In 1989, his work represented the United States at the first International Biennial of Pastel in San Quentin, France. In 1992, he was awarded American Artist's magazine's first Lifetime Achievement award in the category of oil painting and the Oil Painters of America Society named him to their Hall of Fame. 

In 1995, the American Society of Portrait Artists presented the John Singer Sargent award to Daniel Greene for lifelong dedication to the achievement of excellence in portraiture. In May 1999, Mr. Greene was the recipient of the Benjamin Clinedinst Medal of the Artist's Fellowship at a presentation in New York City. In 2001, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Portrait Society of America.

On May 26, 1994 in a special White House ceremony, Daniel Greene presented a pastel portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In 2003, Mr. Greene was the annual honoree of the Salmagundi Club and was presented their Gold Medal. In 2003, Mr. Greene was named a Pastel Laureate by the Pastel Society of the West Coast and was presented with the Joseph V. Giffuni Award by the Pastel Society of America. 

In 2007, Mr. Greene was presented with the Great American Artworks Award by the Pastel Society of America and also won First Place for Landscape at the ARC International Salon by the Art Renewal Center. In 2011, Mr. Greene was presented with the Herman Margulies Award for Excellence by the Pastel Society at their 39th Annual Exhibition and also was presented with the Art Spirit Foundation Award by the Salmagundi Club at their 128th Annual Member Exhibition.

He was presented with a Distinguished Artist Award by the Oil Painters of America at their 21st Annual National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils and was presented with the Gene Magazzini Memorial Award for Traditional Oils by the Salmagundi Club at their 129th Annual Exhibition. 

In 2012, the Pastel Society of America at their 40th Annual Exhibition also presented Mr. Greene with the Jack Richeson Gold Award. Mr. Greene's paintings and pastels are in over 700 public and private collections in the United States and abroad. 

In 1998 Daniel Greene was interviewed in the Academy Award nominated documentary "Ayn Rand, a Sense of Life" and was the subject of the cable documentary "The Genuine Article" as well as a PBS documentary featuring his subway paintings.