"To me the most important thing in a piece of art is the thought, technique is totally secondary" —Robert Bateman
In collaboration with the Bateman Studio, the Cowichan Valley Museum will be hosting the works of Canadian naturalist and painter Robert Bateman with their 'Mid-Century Bateman' exhibit from June 5 to Aug. 31.
Bateman just turned 95 years young on May 24.
"We are honoured to host mid-century Bateman in celebration of Robert Bateman’s 95th birthday," said museum summer curator Sofia Colado. "As a museum rooted in the Cowichan Valley, it’s deeply meaningful to share the early work of an artist whose life and practice are so closely tied to Vancouver Island and Salt Spring [Island]. This exhibit speaks not only to Bateman’s legacy as a Canadian artist but also to the broader themes of nature, conservation, and community that are central to our region."
Bateman, who has been fascinated by the natural world since he was a child growing up in Toronto, never imagined he would make a living from it. As a boy he recorded the sightings of all the birds he saw in the area where he lived and started with creating small paintings of the feathered creatures in their habitats. Inspired by the work of American painter Franz Kline he began making abstract paintings of nature, and by the mid-1960s he transitioned to his present style of realism. Bateman, who is world renowned for his work, has captured the beauty of nature across the globe including in Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and Australia.
Bateman and his family moved to Salt Spring Island in the early 1980s. He currently has two schools named for him, the Robert Bateman Public School in Ottawa, and the Robert Bateman Secondary School in Abbotsford. Over the span of his impressive career, Bateman has received numerous honours and awards including 14 honorary doctorates from institutions such as the University of Toronto, the University of Victoria, and Royal Roads University. He is also a recipient of the Office of the Order of Canada.
The Bateman exhibit at the Cowichan Valley Museum came about after one of its members read an article in the Canadian Museums Association's magazine about the Unexpected Bateman exhibit at the Penticton Art Gallery earlier this year. 'Mid-Century Bateman' will include a carefully curated selection of Bateman’s early oils, gouaches, lithographs, paintings, and personal photographs, some which are being displayed publicly for the first time. Accessible to all, admission to the museum is by donation.
"We hope visitors will leave with a deeper understanding of Robert Bateman’s lifelong dedication to art, education, and environmental awareness," said Kate Brotchie of Bateman Studio. "The exhibit reveals the formative years of a young artist who continues to explore and celebrate the natural world even in his 95th year. We hope viewers come away inspired by the threads of curiosity, respect for nature, and artistic integrity that run through his work and life."
