Executive Council
October 6, 2015
Premier Expresses Condolences on Passing of Gerald Squires
The Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, today expressed his condolences to the family of the late Gerald Squires, one of Newfoundland and Labrador's most distinguished visual artists, who passed away on October 3.
"Gerald Squires was a gifted artist who will be deeply missed. He will be best remembered for his haunting landscapes, as well as his portraits and surrealist paintings. He was also well-known for his work in stain glass and sculptures, including the bronze statue, The Spirit of the Beothuk, which can be found at the Beothuk Interpretation Centre in Boyd's Cove. On behalf of the people of the province, I extend my deepest condolences to his family and acknowledge the incredible contribution he made to the province."
- The Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
Gerald Squires was born in Change Islands, Newfoundland, in 1937. His family moved to Toronto when he was 12, where he developed an interest in art. He was educated at the Danforth Technical School and the Ontario College of Art & Design. For several years he worked as an illustrator for the Toronto Telegram.
Returning to the province in 1969, Squires lived in the Exploits Valley and Bonne Bay before moving in 1971 to Ferryland, where he and his family settled in the lighthouse. He worked as an artist-in-residence and educator for Memorial University, which presented him with an Honorary Doctorate in 1992.
Among his many other awards and honours, Gerald Squires was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 1999, received the Golden Jubilee Award from Her Majesty the Queen in 2003, and was inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Art Council's Hall of Honour in 2007.
The work of Gerald Squires has been featured in more than 300 solo and group exhibitions and is included in the Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador's permanent collection, in the National Gallery of Canada, and in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador organized a major retrospective show of his work in 1998 called Gerald Squires: Journey that revisited his then four decade long career.
Gerald Squires: Newfoundland Artist, by Des Walsh and Susan Jamieson, was published in 1995 and in 2009 Breakwater Books Publishing released the art book Where Genesis Begins which includes 71 artworks by Squires and 37 poems by Tom Dawe.
The Rooms is curating a major retrospective of the work of Gerald Squires for 2017.
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Media contacts:
|
Heather MacLean
Director of Communications Office of the Premier 709-729-3581 heathermaclean@gov.nl.ca |
Donna Ivey
Special Assistant, Communications Office of the Premier 709-729-3551 donnaivey@gov.nl.ca |
2015 10 06 1:00 p.m.