First Name: Robert

Last Name: Boyer

Full Name: Robert Boyer

Alternative Names: Bob Boyer

Date of birth: July 20, 1948

Place of birth: Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada

Date of death: August 30, 2004

Place of death: Macy, Nebraska, United States

Community / Heritage: Métis Cree

Sex: Male

Art Media: Mixed media on paper, oil, pastel, acrylic, fresco, blankets

Bio:

Robert Boyer was a Canadian visual artist and university professor of Métis Cree heritage. Boyer grew up in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and graduated with a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1971. Between 1971–75, he taught art and drama in Prince Albert and became the community program officer for the Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery in Regina. In 1978, Boyer was appointed an Assistant Professor at the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College (now First Nations University of Canada) in Regina. From 1980-84, he served as the head of the Department of Indian Art, a position he would resume in 2004 and hold until his death that same year.

Boyer fused his Metis heritage with Abstract Expressionism to create a unique artistic vocabulary. Inspired by works on silk and cloth during a trip to China and Japan in 1984, he moved towards an abstract style using thick layers of oil paint on blankets. He is best known for his politically-charged abstract paintings. Boyer's art is included in collections across Canada.

Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions:

• 1984: MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina. Horses Fly Too.
• 1988: Organized by the University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver. Bob Boyer: A Blanket Statement
• 1991: Edmonton Art Gallery, Alberta, Canada. Shades of Difference: The Art of Bob Boyer
• 1999: Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Bob Boyer. The Southern Alberta Art Gallery
• 2008: MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Bob Boyer: His Life’s Work
• 2011: Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. Bob Boyer: His Life’s Work
• 2012: Gallery Gevik, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bob Boyer: Life on the Powwow Trail

Group Exhibitions:

• 1988: Canadian Museum of Civilization, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. In the Shadow of the Sun
• 1992: Canadian Museum of Civilization, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Indigena
• 2013: Gallery Gevik, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Canadian Aboriginal Art
• 2013: MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. How We Filled the Vault
• 2014: Gallery Gevik, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Canadian Aboriginal Paintings and Sculptures
• 2015: Gallery Gevik, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A Spiritual Collection of Contemporary Aboriginal Works
• 2017: Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Word Mark: A New Chapter Acquisition Project

Collections

• The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
• Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
• Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
• The Mann Art Gallery, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada
• The Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatchewan, Canada
• Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Articles

• http://www.sknac.ca/index.php?page=ArtistDetail&id=7
• https://www.gallery.ca/collection/artist/bob-boyer
• https://www.timesonline.com/Beaver/OBITUARIES/20190911/ROBERT-BOB-W-BOYER
• https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/robert-boyer

Awards

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts