John Banovich (born 1964) is an American oil painter. He is known for his large paintings of wildlife. Banovich's work has appeared in many venues, including the
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum
The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum is located in Wausau, Wisconsin. It is best known for its annual "Birds in Art" exhibition, which exhibits contemporary artistic representations of birds. The annual exhibition has been held beginning the week a ...
’s Birds in Art show, the
Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum, and the
Salmagundi Club
The Salmagundi Club, sometimes referred to as the Salmagundi Art Club, is a fine arts center founded in 1871 in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan, New York City. Since 1917, it has been located at 47 Fifth Avenue. , its membership rost ...
.
Early life
John Banovich was born in
Lewistown, Montana
Lewistown is a city in and the county seat of Fergus County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,952 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Lewistown is located in the geographic center of the state, southeast of Great Falls, Mo ...
. His interest in art and animals originated at a young age, inspired by ''The Jungle Book'' and Grizzly Adams, and encouraged by his father's passion for wildlife and the outdoors.
[African Sporting Gazette, ''John Banovich: His Best Keeps Getting Better,'' 2005.][Open Fences, ''John Banovich: Big Animals, Big Teeth, Big Program,'' Spring 2012.] By the sixth grade, Banovich had sold two paintings.
[Wildlife Art Magazine, ''John Banovich: A Multifaceted Artist, Businessman, Conservationist, Philosopher,'' January/February 2006.]
After high school Banovich enrolled at the
University of Montana
The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana, United States. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marki ...
in
Missoula
Missoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot River, Bitterroot and Blackfoot River (Montana), ...
to double major in art and zoology. Banovich transferred to
the Art Institute of Seattle for a degree in visual communications.
[Safari Magazine, ''Art of the Hunt: Maximum Impact,'' January/February 2014.]
Work
Banovich is known for his large canvases. It was in the late 1990s when his passion for large-scale paintings took hold.
[The Artist's Magazine, ''Big Game,'' July/August 2006.]
One of Banovich's most well known works, "Man Eaters of
Tsavo
Tsavo is a region of Kenya located at the crossing of the Uganda Railway over the Tsavo River, close to where it meets the Athi-Galana-Sabaki River. Two national parks, Tsavo East and Tsavo West are located in the area.
The meaning of the w ...
" (2002, 50 x 80 in., Oil on Belgian Linen) was one of the first works to come out of the new Montana studio. The painting tells the powerful story of two lions who murdered and devoured more than 135 people in 1898, during the construction of the British railway. Colonel Patterson pursued them for nine months before finally putting them to rest. The limited edition print run sold out immediately and the Foundation Edition has helped raise significant funds for conservation efforts.
In 2003, he founded the Banovich Wildscapes Foundation (BWF), a nonprofit organization fostering cooperative efforts to conserve the earth's wild places benefiting the wildlife and the people that live there.
Exhibitions
The "Nature of the Beast" exhibition, composed solely of Banovich works, was displayed in 2010 at both the Wildlife Experience Museum and Museum of the Southwest.
In 2019 through 2020, the Nevada Art Museum and the Witte Museum featured Banovich in a one-man exhibition titled "The King of Beasts: A Study of the African Lion".
References
* Modern Huntsman: John Banovich In Search of Africa https://modernhuntsman.com/john-banovich-in-search-of-africa/
* Sporting Classics Daily - SEWE, John Banovich Partner to Honor Conservation’s Heroes https://sportingclassicsdaily.com/sewe-banovich-conservation/
* ACCF African Community & Conservation Foundation - The Lions Have Landed https://africanccf.org/the-lions-have-landed/
* FOUR Magazine: The Wilds of Africa-A Look at John Banovich's Spellbinding Works https://www.four-magazine.com/hotels-travel/wilds-of-africa-a-look-at-artist-john-banovichs-spellbinding-works/
Books
* ''King of Beasts: A Study of the African Lion'' by John Banovich, Live Oak Press, 2019
* ''Beast: The Collected Works of John Banovich'', Banovich Fine Art Publishing, 2009
External links
Official WebsiteBanovich Wildscapes FoundationBanovich Wildscapes TravelSHOP Limited Editions & Accents with a portion of proceeds funding critical projects
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banovich, John
20th-century American painters
American male painters
21st-century American painters
21st-century American male artists
People from Butte, Montana
Painters from Montana
Living people
American bird artists
1964 births
People from Lewistown, Montana
African art
American conservationists
20th-century American male artists