Burrell Swartz (1925-2004)

Burrell Swartz was born January 1925 in Vancouver, British Columbia, of Jewish (Russian/Hungarian) immigrant parents.

In 1944-45 he attended the Vancouver School of Art. By 1946 he had moved to the University of Toronto from which he received his Bachelor of Architecture in 1951.

Secretly wanting to learn to draw properly and having studied architecture he really had no use for pure abstraction, which at that time was the movement prevailing in New York.

He was accepted at the Central School of Art (London, UK) in the Fresco Department, where he studied under a very young John Berger. Another of his teachers was Keith Vaughan who encouraged him to submit his work to the ‘Young Contemporaries Exhibition’ which attracted the top art students in Britain. On the panel were Francis Bacon, Henry Moore, and John Piper, who urged him to continue his studies at the Slade School of Painting, where he studied from 1956-58.

Continuously on the move, now with new family responsibilities, he was working at night in the post office, whilst painting during the day and looking for exhibition opportunities. Finally he caught the eye of the Beaux Arts Gallery (London,UK), whose driving force was John Bratby, who represented the ‘Kitchen Sink’ movement in the 50’s. Here he found himself in the company of Lucien Freud, and Frank Auerbach.

He was by now recognized by The National Gallery, Ottawa. Exhibitions followed in Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto, New York and London (UK).

Burrell Swartz’s work was heavily influenced by the British school of painting , concentrating on landscapes and figurative work and as a result was represented in many private and public galleries. He received grants, scholarships, and residencies.

By 1972, Burrell Swartz was turning away from the commercial art world. He realized that present history was enough of a subject for his art and he was embarking on, that part of an artist’s job, which is to comment on the world around them.

There followed an invitation to work in Germany with a vibrant international artist community. His subject matter became international intrigue, banks, multi nationals, South Africa, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Chile and human rights issues. Wherever it was to be found. All matter that the media has overloaded and manipulated us with and thereby desensitizing us.

His intention was to create a dialogue with the viewer. A legitimate pursuit to answer the question of our culpability in the subject.

Burrell Swartz died September, 2004.