William Blair Bruce

William Blair Bruce (8October 185917November 1906) was a Canadian painter. He studied in France and became one of Canada's first impressionist painters. He lived most of his life in France and on the island of Gotland, Sweden, where he and his Swedish wife Carolina Benedicks-Bruce created the artists estate Brucebo, which was later established as a nature reserve.

Biography Early years William Blair Bruce was born on 8October 1859, in Hamilton, Canada West, A plaque in Bruce Park, Hamilton marks the site of his childhood home. He was the son of William Bruce, born 1833 in Scotland, who emigrated to Hamilton with his wife Janet Blair Initially Bruce studied law at Hamilton Collegiate Institute,

Paris

In Paris his classical education at Académie Julian included genre scenes and several other subjects. Like other artists of the time he wanted to experience the Parisian art scene and join in the competition to exhibit at the annual Salon in Paris. He became acquainted with Impressionism and en plein air or "outdoors painting", a style which he came to prefer. He also became one of Canada's first impressionist painters. Taking advice from Louis Welden Hawkins, an English painter who met Bruce in Paris and who in the spring of 1882 gave him guidance on Paris Salon, telling him to make his work large and of a sentimental nature. His Temps Passé was exhibited at the 1884 Salon Bruce subsequently suffered a nervous breakdown and hastily returned to Canada for the first time. In Giverny, Robinson and Bruce seem to have painted side by side, and Bruce may have influenced Robinson.

In 1888, on Bruce's return to Paris, he painted The Phantom Hunter, which became an instant success at the Salon and marked the peak of his career. In 1895, the couple made a brief journey to Hamilton in Canada, where Bruce painted on the Six Nations Reserve. After Bruce's death, a commemorative exhibition of 122 of his works was held in Paris in 1907. he remains relatively unknown. A large part of his production can be seen at Brucebo, which is now a museum managed by the Brucebo Foundation.

Brucebo

Originally used as a summer house by Bruce and his wife, they rebuilt and extended Brucebo in 1900–06 into their permanent home and studio. The museum and the estate are managed by the Brucebo Foundation. The foundation also grants scholarship to younger Canadian artists. In 1970, the Brucebo estate was established as a nature reserve.

Gallery

Record sale prices At the June 8, 2023 Cowley Abbott Auction Artwork from an Important Private Collection - Part II, Picking Pears in Barbizon (The Pear Orchard) (1882) oil on canvas, 29.5 x 59 ins ( 74.9 x 149.9 cms ), Auction Estimate: $70,000.00 - $90,000.00, realized a price of $264,000.00.