Bruno Bobak, (born Bronislaw Jacob Bobak; 27 December 1923 – 24 September 2012) was a Polish-born

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

Official war artist A war artist is an artist either commissioned by a government or publication, or self-motivated, to document first-hand experience of war in any form of illustrative or depictive record.Imperial War Museum (IWM)header phrase, "war shapes lives" ...

and art teacher. His main medium was

watercolour Watercolor (American English) or watercolour ( Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting method"Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to the ...

painting but he also produced

woodcuts Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with Chisel#Gouge, gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts ...

Early years and war artist

Born Bronislaw Josephus "Bruno" Bobak in Wawelówka, near

Skalat Skalat (, ; ; ) is a small city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Skalat urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: History Skalat was first mentioned in written sources date ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

(now

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

), Bobak's family emigrated and settled in Saskatchewan, Canada in 1925. He studied art with

Arthur Lismer Arthur Lismer, LL.D. (27 June 1885 – 23 March 1969) was an English-Canadian painter, member of the Group of Seven and educator. He is known primarily as a landscape painter and for his paintings of ships in dazzle camouflage. Early life ...

and Gordon Webber at the

Art Gallery of Toronto The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; ) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located on Dundas Street, Dundas Street West in the Grange Park (neighbourhood), Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, the museum complex takes up of phys ...

(1933-1937), and with Carl Schaefer and

Elizabeth Wyn Wood Elizabeth Winnifred Wood (October 8, 1903 – January 27, 1966), known as Elizabeth Wyn Wood, was a Canadian sculptor and advocate of art education. A notable figure in Canadian sculpture, she is primarily known for her modernist interpretation ...

at the

Central Technical School Central Technical School is a Canadian composite high school in Toronto, Ontario. The school is run by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB); before 1998, it was run by the Toronto Board of Education (TBE). Central Tech is located in the H ...

, Toronto (1938-1942). Bobak joined the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

in 1942, following high school. He served in Europe with the Royal Canadian Engineers. After he won first prize in a Canadian Army Art Competition, he was named as an Official Second World War artist. He was Canada's youngest

war artist A war artist is an artist either commissioned by a government or publication, or self-motivated, to document first-hand experience of war in any form of illustrative or depictive record.Imperial War Museum (IWM)header phrase, "war shapes lives" ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.Canada Post stamp
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Teaching career

After the war Bobak returned to Canada and lived briefly in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

before moving with his wife (whom he met in London) to

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

in 1947 to teach art at the

Vancouver School of Art The Emily Carr University of Art and Design (stylized as Emily Carr University of Art + Design and abbreviated as ECU) is a public university of art and design located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1925 as the Vancouver Schoo ...

. The Bobaks moved one final time to

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

in 1960 and he became artist in residence at the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English language, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...

. Bobak was appointed Director of the University of New Brunswick's Art Centre. In 1983, the Sir George Williams Art Galleries,

Concordia University, Montreal Concordia University () is a public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the three universities ...

organized a touring

retrospective A retrospective (from Latin ', "look back"), generally, is a look back at events that took place, or works that were produced, in the past. As a noun, ''retrospective'' has specific meanings in software development, popular culture, and the arts. ...

of his work. Retired in 1986, Bobak remained in New Brunswick until his death. In 1995, along with his wife, fellow war artist

Molly Lamb Bobak Molly Lamb Bobak (née Lamb; February 25, 1920 – March 2, 2014) was a Canadian teacher, writer, printmaker and painter working in oils and watercolours. During World War II, she was the first Canadian woman artist to be sent overseas to docum ...

, he became a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

Personal

Bobak married Molly Lamb in 1945 and is survived by two children, Alexander Bobak (b. 1946) and Anny Scoones (b. 1957) and grandchild Julia Bobak.

Collections

Bobak's work is primarily found in Canada, but can be found also in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, Poland and

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

Recognition

On 8 September 1998 Canada Post issued 'The Farmer's Family (detail), 1970, Bruno Bobak' in the Masterpieces of Canadian art series. The stamp was designed by

Pierre-Yves Pelletier Pierre-Yves Pelletier is a graphic designer, who has designed 110 stamps for Canada Post. Pierre-Yves Pelletier is half French Canadian. He lives in Belœil, Quebec Beloeil (; ) is a city in Quebec, Canada. It is a suburb of Montreal, on the So ...

based on a watercolour painting ''The Farmer's Family'' (1970) by Brunislaw Jacob Bobak in the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, New Brunswick. The 90¢ stamps are perforated 12.5 X 13 mm and were printed by Ashton-Potter Limited.

Death

Bruno Bobak died 24 September 2012, at age 88. He had been diagnosed with

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

earlier that summer. His wife, Molly Lamb Bobak, died two years later on 2 March 2014.

Awards

Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award The Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award is a monetary award given since 1971 by the Canada Council for the Arts to Canadian artists judged to be outstanding in their mid-careers. Since 2005, the award is given to one recipient in each of the follow ...

(1971) *

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal () is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is physically identical in all realms where it was awarded, save for Canada ...

* Jesse Dow Prize,

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is an art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest art museum in Canada by gallery space. The museum is located on the historic Golden Square Mile stretch of Sherbrooke Street west. The MMFA ...

* C.W. Jefferys Award,

Canadian Society of Graphic Art Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

* Honorary

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

from Saint Thomas University 1984 * Honorary

Doctor of Literature Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

from the University of New Brunswick 1986 *

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Victoria of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria on 16 ...

References

Bibliography

*Bernard Riordon, Herménégilde Chiasson, and Herb Curtis, ''Bruno Bobak: The Full Palette'' (Goose Lane Editions and Beaverbrook Art Gallery: Fredericton, NB., 2006).

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bobak, Bruno 1923 births 2012 deaths Canadian painters Members of the Order of Canada Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts Canadian war artists Artists from New Brunswick People from Fredericton Polish emigrants to Canada World War II artists Canadian Army personnel of World War II Canadian watercolourists