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Alex Coville, 1920-2013

alex_colville_1965_to_prince_edward_island

To Prince Edward Island 1965
Acrylic polymer emulsion on hardboard
60.9 x 91.4 cm
Collection National Gallery of Canada

I was sad to hear that Canadian painter Alex Coville died yesterday.  Coville was an iconic Canadian painter, engraver, sketch artist and muralist with a career that spanned more than 70 years.   His work included tranquil compositions that focused on routine moments of family life and featured landscapes, animals and the sea.  Any student of art in Canada can likely describe more than a few of his works.

Even if you didn’t study art, if you lived in Canada, the odds are good that you saw the result of one of his most prestigious projects, designing a series of coins in 1967 to commemorate Canada’s Centennial.

You can read his obituary in the Globe and Mail.