Ivan Eyre

Ivan Kenneth Eyre (15 April 1935 – 5 November 2022) was a Canadian artist best known for his prairie landscapes and compositionally abstract, figurative paintings. In addition, Eyre was a Professor Emeritus of painting and drawing at the University of Manitoba where he taught for 33 years, from 1959 until his retirement in 1992. He has been described as a "visual philosopher" and "a true outsider and visionary".

Ivan Eyre's paintings and drawings have been exhibited internationally and are featured in numerous galleries across Canada. His sculptures are prominently displayed at Assiniboine Park and the McMichael sculpture garden in Kleinburg, Ontario.

Biography Ivan Eyre was born to Thomas and Katie Eyre in Tullymet, Saskatchewan, in 1935. Eyre began school at the age of five, during which time his family relocated twice: first to Southey in 1940, then again to Ituna in 1941. Shortly thereafter, Katie and her three children left their rural environment and moved to urban Saskatoon while Thomas Eyre worked abroad as an Air Force electrician.

Eyre developed an artistic interest at an early age. At the age of 15, while still a high school student, he began taking after-school art lessons at the Saskatoon Technical Collegiate where he studied under Ernest Lindner for the duration of 1950–1953. According to Eyre: "Knowing that there was somebody seriously committed to art, somebody who had made it his life's work, was encouraging. [Lindner's] influence in this regard was important."

Eyre went on to attend evening classes at the University of Saskatchewan which were taught by Eli Bornstein in his final year of high school.

In 1953, Eyre moved to Winnipeg where he attended the University of Manitoba School of Art, graduating in 1957 with a BA in fine arts. In his autobiography, Eyre reminisces about the tutelage of his professors and class trips to the Chicago Art Institute. Around the time of his graduation, he married Brenda Yvonne Fenske, a peer student at the university.

Eyre rejects the notion of "schools" or "movements", whether coined as such by art historians or artists. Prioritizing the concept of artist-as-individual-creator above all else, Eyre has criticized movements such as the avant garde for restricting the creative capabilities of artists who fall under their umbrella and binding their adherents to a specific style or direction.

Ivan Eyre Gallery The third floor of the Assiniboine Park pavilion museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba is named for Ivan Eyre who is one of several Manitoban artists (including Walter J. Phillips and Clarence Tillenius) honored and exhibited at the pavilion. The WAG @ The Park initiative launched in fall of 2016 upon completion of renovations due to moisture and roof leaks. In collaboration with the Assiniboine conservancy, the Winnipeg Art Gallery agreed to curate free exhibitions in the revamped space using only works by Eyre, Phillips, and Tillenius.

The Assiniboine Park conservancy houses Canada's largest collection of Eyre's art, made possible by Eyre's donation of 200 paintings, 5000 drawings, and 16 sculptures to the park. The current exhibition is titled "Wasteland Dreamland: Early Works by Ivan Eyre, 1957-1969."

Honours 1974: Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, elected member elect 1977: Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee Medal 1982: University of Manitoba Alumni Jubilee award 2002: Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee Medal 2007: Order of Manitoba 2008: honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Manitoba 2015: Order of Canada with the grade of member

List of solo exhibitions 1962: The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg. Ivan Eyre Drawings (c. 5 December) 1964: The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg. [One-artist] (1964) 1964: The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. [One-artist] (–8 March) 1964: The Winnipeg Art Gallery. Ivan Eyre 1965: Fleet Gallery, Winnipeg. Ivan Eyre (–23 February) 1965: Albert White Galleries, Toronto. Ivan Eyre, Winnipeg (c. 17 April – 4 May) 1966: Yellow Door Gallery, Winnipeg. [One-artist] 1966: The Winnipeg Art Gallery. Ivan Eyre Drawings (27 September – 16 October) 1967: Atelier Vincitore Gallery, Brighton, England. Painting, Sculpture, Drawing by Ivan Eyre (27 January – 11 February) 1968: Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon. Ivan Eyre (20 February – 25 March) 1969: The Morris Gallery, Toronto. [One-artist] (Spring) 1969: Fleet Gallery, Winnipeg. [One-artist] (c. 1 May) 1971: The Morris Gallery, Toronto. Ivan Eyre, New Paintings and Sculpture (27 February – 13 March) 1973–1974: Frankfurter Kunstkabinett, West Germany. Ivan Eyre 1973: Burnaby Art Gallery. Ivan Eyre: Sculpture, Paintings, Drawings (2–27 May) 1973: The Morris Gallery, Toronto. Ivan Eyre (5–19 May) 1973: Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Drawings by Ivan Eyre (8 May – 3 June) 1973: McIntosh Gallery, The University of Western Ontario, London. Ivan Eyre (17 October – 18 November) 1974: The Winnipeg Art Gallery. Ivan Eyre: Recent Paintings and Sculpture (c. 21 March – 9 June) 1976: Playhouse Theatre, Fredericton/New Brunswick Museum, Saint John. Ivan Eyre, paintings (18–31 October, 5 –26 November) 1976: Gallery 111, School of Art, The University of Manitoba. Ivan Eyre: Recent Paintings and Sculpture (c. 21 March – 9 June) 1978: The National Gallery of Canada. Ivan Eyre Drawings 1979: Mira Godard Gallery, Calgary. Ivan Eyre (26 October – 17 November) 2017: The Winnipeg Art Gallery. Ivan Eyre: Landscapes and Still Lifes (15 September – 29 October)

Posthumous exhibitions 2023: Winnipeg Art Gallery, The Idea of Trees: Ivan Eyre (Nov 26, 2022 - Jun 3, 2023).

Record sale prices At the Heffel Auction, Post-War & Contemporary Art, November 20, 2024, LOT 010, High Valley, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48 in, 121.9 x 121.9 cm, Estimate: $50,000 - $70,000 CAD, Sold for: $325,250 (including Buyer's Premium).