Biography of
Robert Bateman
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Born in Toronto, with a degree in geography from the University of Toronto, Robert Bateman taught high school for 20 years, including two years in Nigeria. He travelled around the world in 1957-58, increasing his appreciation of cultural and natural heritage. Since leaving teaching in 1976 to paint full-time, he has travelled widely with his artist/conservationist wife Birgit to many remote natural areas. The family moved to Salt Spring Island in 1985.
Bateman has been a keen artist and naturalist from his early days. He has always painted wildlife and nature, beginning with a representational style, moving through impressionism and cubism to abstract expressionism. In his early thirties he moved back to realism as a more suitable way to express the particularity of the planet. It is this style that has made him one of the foremost artists depicting the world of nature.
In the ’70s and early ’80s, Bateman’s work began to receive critical acclaim and to attract an enormous following. His work is in many public and private collections, and several art museums, including the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, WY. Bateman has had many one-man museum shows throughout North America, including an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. The retrospective show, The Art of Robert Bateman, toured Canada and the USA for two years, and a one-man show toured four cities in Russia.
Bateman’s art reflects his commitment to ecology and preservation. Since the early 1960’s, he has been an active member of naturalist and conservation organizations, now on a global scale. He has become a spokesman for many environmental and preservation issues and has used his artwork and limited edition prints in fund-raising efforts that have provided millions of dollars for these worthy causes.
Books about his life and art have had sales of over 1,000,000 copies. His latest book, Robert Bateman’s Canada has just been released in October 2017. He has also been the subject of several films and television programs. His honours, awards and honorary doctorates are numerous and include Officer of the Order of Canada. It is in honour of Bateman’s contribution to art, teaching and conservation that one public and two secondary schools have been named after him; as well, he has been awarded 14 honorary doctorates.
Many of his early works are on display at The Robert Bateman Centre on the Inner Harbour of Victoria, BC. It is a place where insights into his life and philosophies can be explored. He is associated in the public mind with pro-nature education by his work, writings and public speaking. He is a natural and gregarious teacher and his artwork is vastly instructive.
Robert Bateman is perceived by many to be one of the voices of reason and hope for healthy, rejuvenated and creative engagement with the natural world. He says, “I can’t conceive of anything being more varied and rich and handsome than the planet earth. And its crowning beauty is the natural world. I want to soak it up, to understand it as well as I can, and to absorb it . . . and then I’d like to put it together and express it in my painting. This is the way I want to dedicate my life.”
CREDENTIALS:
Robert McLellan Bateman
O.C., O.B.C., R.C.A., D.F.A., D. Litt., D. Sc., LL.D., B.A.(Hons.),
Artist/Naturalist
Personal
Born in Toronto, Canada, 1930; son of Joseph Wilber & Annie Maria (McLellan) Bateman
Marriage to Suzanne Bowerman, June 1961
Children: Alan, Sarah & John
Married Birgit Freybe, August 1975
Children: Christopher & Rob
High School art/geography teacher 20 years
Thornhill High School, Thornhill, Ontario: 1955-57
Nelson High School, Burlington, Ontario: 1958-63; 1965-69
Government College, Umuahia, Nigeria: 1963-65
Lord Elgin High School, Burlington, Ontario: 1970-76
Lifelong lecturer & resource person in art, photography, nature & conservation
Adjunct Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies, Faculty of Social & Applied Sciences,
Royal Roads University
Resident of Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada
Education
Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, Toronto, 1950
University of Toronto, B.A., Honours Geography, 1954
Ontario College of Education, 1955
Major One-man Exhibitions
Tryon Gallery, London, England: 1975 & 1979
“Images of the Wild”, National Museum of Natural Sciences,
Ottawa, 1981-82 (travelling exhibit of major Canadian museums)
Le Conseil International de la Chasse et de la Conservation de
Gibier, Monaco, 1982 (travelling exhibition of major European cities)
Greenville County Museum of Art, South Carolina, 1985
Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska, 1987
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin, 1986 & 1997
Smithsonian Institution, Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., 1987
Frye Art Museum, Seattle, WA 1988
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Museum 1991
Carnegie Museum of Natural History 1991
Canadian Embassy, Tokyo, 1992 (travelling California Academy of Sciences
April ’92, Los Angeles Museum of Natural History Nov ’92, Vancouver
Museum May ’93, Victoria Art Gallery Sept ’93)
National Museum of Wildlife Art, May ’97- Nov.’97
Art Gallery of Algoma, September ’97- November ’97
Burlington Art Centre, June-July 2000
“Diversities”, Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg, SA, Oct. – Nov., 2000
Retrospective Tour: Wm. S. Fairfield Public Gallery, Sturgeon Bay, WI; Genesee
County Museum, Mumford, NY; The Wildlife Experience, Denver, CO; Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ; Bruce Museum of Arts & Sciences, Greenwich, CT; Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston, TX, May 2002 – Nov. 2003
“Robert Bateman: A Portfolio”, Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, August 2004
“The Art of Bateman” with Alan Bateman & John Bateman, Masters Gallery,
Calgary, AB, 2006
“The Art of Robert Bateman” Retrospective Tour: McMichael Gallery of Canadian Art, Kleinburg, ON
2007; Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE , 2007; Wildlife Experience, Denver, CO, 2008; National
Museum of Wildlife Art’ Jackson Hole, W,Y 2008; San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, CA, 2008; Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Banff, AB 2009
“Robert Bateman in Russia”: Russian State Museum, St. Petersburg; Ivanovo
Regional State Museum; Tula Museum of Fine Art; Tsarytsyno Palace Art
Museum, Moscow, Oct. 2009 – Aug. 2010
The Robert Bateman Centre, Victoria, BC – permanent exhibition, opened May 24, 2013
Public Art Museum Collections
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia
Burlington Art Centre, Burlington, Ontario
Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin
Denver Art Museum
Hamilton Art Gallery, Ontario
Genesee Country Museum, New York
Glenbow Museum, Alberta
National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson WY
Plus numerous private collections including:
HRH The Prince Charles
HRH The Prince Philip
HRH The late Princess Grace of Monaco
HRH Bernhard, Prince of the Netherlands
Commissions
World Wildlife Fund, Endangered Species Silver Bowl, 1971
Canada Post, Endangered Species Postage Stamp Series, 1976-1981
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Toronto, “Window Into Ontario”, 1977
Government of Canada, wedding gift to HRH The Prince Charles,
“Northern Reflections – Loon Family”, 1981
Royal Canadian Mint, Platinum Polar Bear Coin Series, 1990
National Capital Commission, Canadiana Fund (Official Residences Permanent
Collection), “Winter Pond – Mergansers”, 2000
Major Academic Honours
O.C., O.B.C., R.C.A., D.F.A., D. Litt., D. Sc., LL.D., B.A., SAA, AFC
Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, Colby College, 1989
Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, Northeastern University, 1991
Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, Brock University, 1982
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, Laurentian University, 1987
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, Royal Roads University, 2010
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, University of Guelph, 1984
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, University of Victoria, 2003
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, University of Toronto, 2007
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, Vancouver Island University, 2017
Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, Acadia University, 2014
Doctor of Letters, Fine Arts, honoris causa, Lakehead University,1986
Doctor of Letters, Fine Arts, honoris causa, McMaster University,1983
Doctor of Science, honoris causa, Carleton University, 1982
Doctor of Science, honoris causa, McGill University, 1995
Major Honours and Awards
Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee Medal, 1977
Artist of the Year, American Artist magazine, 1980
Excellence Award in Arts for Contribution to Artistic Community,
Hamilton-Wentworth, Ontario, 1980
Master Artist, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum,
Wausau, Wisconsin, 1982
Officer of the Order of Canada, 1984
Member of Honour Award, World Wildlife Fund, 1985,
(presented by HRH The Prince Philip)
Governor General Award for Conservation, Quebec City, Canada,
1987
Lescarbot Award presented by Canadian Government, May 1992
Society of Animal Artists Award of Excellence 1979, 1980, 1981, 1986,
1990, 2008; Lifetime Achievement Award, 2010
Rachel Carson Award presented by the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Washington D.C., 1996
Golden Plate Award presented by the American Academy of Achievement, 1998
U.S. National Audubon Society, one of 20th Century’s 100 Champions of
Conservation, 1998
Order of British Columbia, 2001
Rungius Medal presented by the National Museum of Wildlife Art, 2001
Queen’s Jubilee Medal, 2002
Perkin’s Partner in Conservation Award presented by The Wild Canid Center, 2003
Roland Michener Conservation Award presented by the Canadian Wildlife Federation, 2003
Chevron Texaco Conservation Award, 2003
President’s Medal, The Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation of Canada, 2005
Ideas for Life Award, Canadian Environment Awards, 2006
Amnesty International, Human Rights Defender Award, 2007
Simon Combes Award, Artists for Conservation Foundation, 2008
Niagara Escarpment Lifetime Achievement Award, 2009
Living Planet Legacy Award, WWF-Canada, 2011
The Black-Parker Award for Art Industry Leadership, Susan Kathleen Black Foundation, 2013
Royal Canadian Geographical Society Gold Medal, 2013
World Ecology Award, University of Missouri-St. Louis, 2015
International Brandwein Medal, Brandwein Institute, 2017
Jay N. Ding Darling Award, The Wildlife Society, 2017
Schools:
Robert Bateman Public School, Ottawa, Ontario
Robert Bateman Secondary School, Abbotsford, British Columbia
Robert Bateman High School, Burlington, Ontario
Books
The Art of Robert Bateman, biography by Ramsay Derry,
Madison Press Books, 1981 (French ed. 1982; German ed. 1984)
Ten Top Wildlife Artists, by Patricia Van Gelder, 1982
Wildlife Artists at Work by Patricia Van Gelder, Watson-Guptil, 1982
Wildlife Painting – Techniques of Modern Masters, Susan Rayfield,
Watson-Guptil, 1985
The World of Robert Bateman, biography by Ramsay Derry,
Madison Press Books, 1984
Twentieth Century Wildlife Artists by Nicholas Hammond, 1986
From the Wild by Christopher Hume, 1986
Painting Birds by Susan Rayfield, Watson-Guptil, 1988
Robert Bateman by Marjorie E. White, Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1989
Robert Bateman: An Artist in Nature, biography by Rick Archbold,
Madison Press Books, 1990
African Wildlife Art by David Tomlinson, Clive Holloway Books, 1991
Robert Bateman: Natural Worlds, text by Rick Archbold,
Madison Press Books, 1996
Safari, by Robert Bateman and Rick Archbold, Madison Press Books, 1998
Thinking Like a Mountain, by Robert Bateman & Rick Archbold, Penguin
Books, 2000
Design & Composition Secrets of Professional Artists, by the editors of
International Artist magazine, North Light Books, 2001
Wildlife Art: 60 Contemporary Masters & Their Work, by Joan Muvskens Pursley, Portfolio Press, c2001
The Birds of Heaven: Travels with Cranes by Peter Matthiessen, Paintings
and Drawings by Robert Bateman, Farrar, Strauss, Giroux, 2001
Birds, by Robert Bateman & Kathryn Dean, Madison, 2002
Tree, by David Suzuki & Wayne Grady; Art by Robert Bateman, Greystone
Books, 2004
Backyard Birds by Robert Bateman with Ian Coutts, Madison, 2005
Birds of Prey by Robert Bateman with Nancy Kovacs, Madison, 2007
Polar Worlds by Robert Bateman with Nancy Kovacs, Madison, 2008
Vanishing Habitats by Robert Bateman with Nancy Kovacs, Madison, 2010
Bateman: New Works, Greystone Books, 2010
Hope & Wild Apples by Robert Bateman, Bateman Foundation, 2012
Sight Unseen, by Paul Gilbert, Bateman Foundation, 2014
Life Sketches: a Memoir, by Robert Bateman, Simon & Schuster, 2015
Robert Bateman’s Canada, by Robert Bateman, Simon & Schuster, 2017
Films
“Robert Bateman”, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 1972
“Images of the Wild: A Portrait of Robert Bateman”, National Film Board of
Canada, 1978
“The Nature Art of Robert Bateman”, Eco-Art Productions, 1981
“Robert Bateman – A Celebration of Nature”, Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation, 1983
“Robert Bateman – Artist/Naturalist”, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 1984
“A Day in the Life of Robert Bateman”, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation,1985
“Robert Bateman” Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, 1994
“Life and Times of Robert Bateman”, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 1997
“The Art of Robert Bateman”, Cable Public Affairs Channel, 1999
“Down to Earth”, Zephyr Films, 2001
“Recreating Eden”, TV series, Episode 30 [2005 or 2006]
Memberships and Affiliations
Advisory Board, Pollution Probe
Advisory Committee Member, Gaylord A. Nelson Environmental Endowments
Advisory Council, Ecotrust
Board Member, British Society for Wildlife Artists
Board Member, Jane Goodall Institute, Canada
Consulting Member, Conservation Council of Ontario
Council of Patrons, Earthroots
Director, BC Parks
Director, Charles Darwin Foundation of Canada
Founding Patron, Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Trust
Honorary Board Member Canadian Environmental Defense Fund
Honorary Board Member Friends of Point Pelee Endowment Fund
Honorary Chairman, The Bateman Foundation
Honorary Chairman, Harmony Foundation, Victoria
Honorary Chairman, Return of the Peregrine Falcon Project
Honorary Director, Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival
Honorary Director, Kenya Wildlife Fund
Honorary Director, Long Point Bird Observatory, Ontario
Honorary Director, Niska Wildlife Foundation, Guelph
Honorary Director, North American Native Plant Society
Honorary Director, Ecojustice Canada [was Sierra Legal Defense Fund]
Honorary Fellow, The Royal Canadian Geographical Society
Honorary Life Member, Audubon Society
Honorary Life Member, Burlington Cultural Centre, Ontario
Honorary Life Member, Canadian Wildlife Federation
Honorary Life Member, Federation of Ontario Naturalists
Honorary Life Member, Nova Scotia Nature Trust
Honorary Life Member, Salt Spring Island Conservancy
Honorary Life Member, Sierra Club
Honorary Member, Federation of Canadian Artists since April 1983
Honorary Patron, The Land Conservancy of British Columbia
Honorary Patron, Allan Brooks Gallery of the Greater Vernon Museum & Archives
Honorary Patron, Bruce Trail Conservancy
Life Member, Federation of British Columbia Naturalists
Life Member, Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
Member, CODE Advisory Council
Member, Explorer’s Club
Past Commissioner, Niagara Escarpment Commission, Georgetown, ON 1973-85
Past Director, Art Gallery of Ontario
Past Director, Federation of Ontario Naturalists
Past Director, Hamilton Naturalist Association, Ontario
Patron, Brant Wildlife Festival
Patron, British Columbia Breeding Bird Atlas
Patron, Riverwood Conservancy, Ontario
Patron, Vancouver Avian Research Centre
Patron, Wild Bird Trust of British Columbia
