Myfanwy Pavelic

Myfanwy Pavelic, CM OBE RCA (April 27, 1916 – May 7, 2007) née Spencer, was a Canadian portrait artist.

Myfanwy Pavelic
Born
Myfanwy Spencer

(1916-04-27)April 27, 1916
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
DiedMay 7, 2007(2007-05-07) (aged 91)
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
EducationPrivately by Emily Carr
Known forPainter
Notable work"Katharine Hepburn", "Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau"
MovementPost Modern, Contemporary
AwardsOrder of Canada
Order of British Columbia
Canadian Portrait Academy

Early life and career

Born in Victoria, British Columbia to an upper-class family, her first interests in fine art came after meeting with Emily Carr on Vancouver Island who later gave a brief series of instruction to Pavelic. Aside from a few months of study with a Yugoslav artist, she was self-taught as a painter.[1] She studied at Miss Edgar's and Miss Cramp's School in Montreal, Canada as a boarder.[2][3] During the Second World War, she held a one-person exhibition of portraits in Canada and donated the proceeds to the Red Cross. She later married a diplomat and had one daughter who suffered a disability.

Pavelic was one of few Canadian artists who had their work shown at the National Portrait Gallery,[4] where her portrait of Yehudi Menuhin[5] was displayed. She later donated the portrait of her friend to the National Portrait Gallery, making her the first known Canadian-born artist to be represented in their permanent collection.

Pavelic's childhood home was donated to the City of Victoria and converted into the art gallery.

Awards and honours

In 1984, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada.[4] In 1984 she received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Victoria and awarded the Order of Canada.[6] In 2001, she was made a Member of the Order of British Columbia.

In 1997 she became a founding member of the Canadian Portrait Academy (CPA) and in 1998 won the F.H. Varley Medallion for Best Portrait Painting for her portrait of Pierre Elliott Trudeau. She was made a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.[7]

Exhibitions
  • Collages: Myfanwy Pavelici, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, 1976[6]
  • Variations on the Figure, Utley Gallery, Victoria, British Columbia, 1977[6]
  • For Yehudi Menuhiin, Maltwood Art Gallery and Museum, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, 1983[6]
  • Yehudi Menuhin, Barbican Centre, London, England, 1985[6]
  • Relationships, North Park Gallery, Victoria, British Columbia, 1985[6]
  • Smalls, North Park Gallery, Victoria, British Columbia, 1985[6]
  • Altered Ego, Women in Focus Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia, 1986[6]
  • Trudeau, Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, 1992[6]
  • Myfanwy Pavelic: Inner Explorations, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, British Columbia, 1994[6]

References
  1. Myfanwy Spencer Pavelic: A Selection of Works. Burnaby, BC, Canada: Burnaby Art Gallery. 1978.
  2. "Pierre Trudeau's Portrait Painted by Myfanwy Pavelic '34" (PDF). Miss Edgar's and Miss Cramp's School - Newsletter (19): 12. Summer 1991. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 June 2021.
  3. "Welcome to our new Honourary Member: Myfanwy Pavelic" (PDF). Bottega. 4 (1): 1–2. May 2002. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 September 2021.
  4. "Honours: Order of Canada". Governor General of Canada. 26 March 2018. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018.
  5. "Myfanwy Pavelic". National Portrait Gallery. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  6. Myfanwy Pavelic: Inner Explorations. Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. 1994. ISBN 0-88885-178-2.
  7. "Members since 1880". Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
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