Ottawa Art Gallery Celebrates Five Influential Artists at its second Investiture Ceremony

The annual event recognizes established Ottawa-Gatineau artists who are part of OAG’s collection

On Tuesday, November 26, 2024, the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) Board of Directors honoured five outstanding visual artists from the region, paying tribute to the significant contributions of distinguished individuals to the Ottawa art scene and beyond. Now in its second year, the OAG Artists Investiture ceremony, held in the Alma Duncan Salon, was celebrated with donors, stakeholders, and artists.

The OAG is committed to supporting artists at all stages of their careers—emerging, mid-career, or senior—through mentoring, exhibitions, acquisitions, and profile-building events that highlight artist’s contributions. As part of this commitment, the OAG Board of Directors aims to emphasize the lasting legacies of influential artists from the Ottawa-Gatineau region through the Artist Investiture. An annual initiative, this program celebrates their extraordinary artistic accomplishments and their significant influence in the art world. These artists have not only enriched our community but have also been instrumental in shaping the foundations of the Ottawa Art Gallery.

“Our Artist Investiture speaks to what the OAG does best – recognizing the incredible artistic and creative talent of this region, fueling connection and a sense of place, and fostering dialogue across artists at all stages. The Board is so thrilled to have these veritable institutions of creative practice in our region featured in and alongside the OAG, speaking to our ongoing commitment to fuel the love of art and artists!” – Mark Schaan, Chair, Board of Directors, Ottawa Art Gallery

“We’re honoured to celebrate five exceptional artists whose work has significantly shaped Ottawa’s art scene. From Alex Wyse’s whimsical and politically charged creations, to Robert Bourdeau’s evocative black and white photography, Joyce Devlin’s colourful abstractions, portraits, and landscapes, Jerry Grey’s thought-provoking grids and public artwork, and Pat Durr’s early drawings and collagraphic monoprints, their contributions have enriched our community. We’re proud to acknowledge their enduring legacies.” – Rebecca Basciano, Chief Curator, Ottawa Art Gallery

The ceremony commemorated the careers and legacies of these prominent artists who will be inducted this year into OAG’s Artist Investiture:

Robert Bourdeau (b. 1931, Kingston, ON) is a renowned Canadian photographer whose career spans decades. Self-taught, he began his photographic journey in 1958 and started exhibiting his work in 1967. Choosing to photograph places and structures that are in a state of transition, transformation, and possible transcendence, Bourdeau’s work often explores landscapes, architecture, and still life, focusing on the interplay of light, form, and composition. Throughout the 1980s, Bourdeau taught at the University of Ottawa. His work has been widely exhibited in North America and Europe, and is held in numerous collections, including the National Gallery of Canada and the Art Gallery of Ontario. In 2006 he was the recipient of the Karsh Award and was honored with the Order of Canada in 2011 for his significant contributions to Canadian culture.

Joyce Frances Devlin (b. 1933, Fort Fraser, BC) is a renowned Canadian artist who has lived and worked in the Ottawa area since 1965. Known for her vibrant paintings, Devlin uses vivid colour to convey the spirit and character of her subjects in her works, which include portraiture, daringly coloured landscapes, abstract collages, tapestry-like patterns, and metaphorical paintings of birds, trees, and flowers. She studied at the Vancouver School of Art, where she received the Emily Carr Scholarship, as well as the Royal West of England College of Architecture. Her work has been exhibited widely, including at the Ottawa Art Gallery for her 2010 retrospective Joyce Frances Devlin: So Much Beauty, and the Glenbow. Her works be found in public and private collections across Canada.

Pat Durr (b. 1939, Kansas City, Kansas) is a celebrated painter and printmaker. She studied at the Kansas City Art Institute, before arriving in Ottawa in 1964, where she became one of the first women to work in Abstract Expressionism in the city. From her early drawings of the 1960s to her explosive multi-panel paintings in the 1980s, and her large-scale collagraphic monoprints in the 2000s, Durr’s dynamic practice speaks to her interest in pushing the boundaries of form. She has received numerous grants and awards, including the 2017-18 Open Studio/RCA Fellowship Residency Award. Her work has been exhibited in Canada, the United States, Australia, and Chile, including at her 2012 retrospective Pat Durr: Persistence of Chaos at the Ottawa Art Gallery, and can be found in numerous public and private collections internationally.

Jerry Grey (b. 1940, Vancouver, BC), a visual artist and educator, has exhibited her work nationally since 1963. Stimulated by thoughts and images of a social, political and aesthetic nature, Grey is known for her abstract grid paintings, figurative works, and significant public art installations, including the dynamic mural The Great Canadian Equalizer (1975-79), commissioned by Department Public Works for Statistics Canada in Ottawa. Throughout her practice, Grey has explored themes of nature, politics, history, and abstraction, with a keen sense of colour. Her works have been exhibited widely in Canada, including at her 2016 exhibition Jerry Grey on the Grid: 1968 – 1978 at the Ottawa Art Gallery. She has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards, and her work can be found in public and private collections nationally.

Alex Wyse (b. 1938, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England) is a dynamic visual artist who studied at Cheltenham College of Art in the UK before moving to Canada in 1961. Since settling in Ottawa in 1972, his vibrant mixed media work – which often features political and social irony mingled with a healthy dose of humour – has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. With a career spanning decades, Wyse is known for his mixed-media sculpture, paintings, and works on paper, as well as public art installation The Twist, created with Ken Guild for Major’s Hill Park in 1978. His retrospective, Wyse Works: Exposing the Inevitable was held at the Ottawa Art Gallery in 2011, and his work can be found in numerous public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Canada and the Art Gallery of Ontario.

The name of each inductee will be permanently displayed in OAG’s Daly entrance lobby, with each year’s slate of artists added cumulatively. The selection was done through a jury of peers.

Photos: Lindsay Ralph and Amity Bradbury

Information and images for media : 
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For media enquiries, please contact:
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About the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) 
The Ottawa Art Gallery is situated on traditional Anishinābe Aki and is Ottawa’s municipal art gallery and cultural hub. Located in Ottawa’s downtown core, the expanded Gallery is a contemporary luminous cube designed by KPMB Architects and Régis Côté et associés. 

OAG receives funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the City of Ottawa.