West Bay

Bruno Bobak (1923-2012), CM RCA LL.D., D.Litt 

Donald Andrus who curated the Bruno Bobak retrospective at Montreal’s Concordia University in 1983 wrote about Bruno that “He has created a body of work of his time and place, telling stories that are both universal as well as personal. He has been heralded as a humanist and as an expressionist, but above all as a remarkable artist.” [1] We offer here an astutely curated trio of landscapes by Bruno Bobak.

As noted in Bernard Riordon’s book, Bruno Bobak: The Full Palette, on Bobak's career the accolades in his regard are voluminous.[2] When Bruno passed away in 2012 CBC interviewed Riordon, then the Director of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, “Riordon describes Bobak as one of the country's greatest artists and a national icon. [...] He was an iconic figure who had a real strong sense of place and time and who made a special contribution, not only in New Brunswick but to the Canadian art scene.”

From a personal perspective as a friend and fishing companion, Bernie contributed that Bruno “... left a lasting legacy beyond his paintings. He was relaxed, he was kind, generous. He was a true lover of the salmon, and a great respect for the landscape and for the wilderness. A true environmentalist, and just a very kind, gentle, and passionate, and humanist person.”[3]

At our original family art gallery, Walter Klinkhoff Gallery, we offered paintings for sale from Bruno Bobak for more than 30 years. Bruno Bobak had over 80 one person exhibitions and participated in more than 250 group exhibitions.

Bruno was a member of the Canadian Group of Painters, Society of Canadian Painter-Etchers and Engravers, Canadian Society of Graphic Art, Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, British Columbia Society of Artists and the Royal Canadian Academy.

_________

[1] Donald F.P. Andrus and Sandra Paikowsky, Bruno Bobak : Selected Works, 1943-1980 (Montreal: Sir George Williams Art Galleries, 1982).

[2]Bernard Riordon and Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Bruno Bobak: The Full Palette (Fredericton:  Goose Lane Editions, 2006).

[3] “Legendary war artist Bruno Bobak dies at age 88,” CBC News, 25 September 2012.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/legendary-war-artist-bruno-bobak-dies-at-age-88-1.1245909