Barbara McGivern facts for kids

Barbara McGivern (born August 15, 1945 – died March 9, 2019) was a Canadian artist. She was from Toronto, Ontario. People sometimes called her "The Gold Lady."

One of her most famous art series is called The Extraordinary Journey. She got the idea for this series after traveling through the deserts of Oman and Saudi Arabia. She started using gold leaf in her artwork. Gold leaf is very thin sheets of gold. Her art is special because she used gold as a color, not just as a fancy metal. Her paintings are now in many private and company collections in Canada, Europe, and the Middle East.

Her Early Life and Art School

Barbara McGivern grew up in Toronto. For almost 40 years, she lived in a building called the Manulife Centre. This place was a popular spot for artists in Toronto to meet up.

In 1971, she moved to Europe for five years. She settled in London in 1974. There, she joined two famous clubs for artists: The Arts Club and Chelsea Arts Club.

Barbara came back to Toronto in 1976. She worked for Columbia Pictures Television until 1981. After that, she started painting in her first art studio in downtown Toronto. Her early paintings were in a simple, childlike style. She was inspired by the English artist Beryl Cook.

Around that time, she was accepted into the Ontario College of Art and Design. She studied with well-known Canadian artists like Graham Coughtry and Ian Carr-Harris. She finished her studies in Experimental Arts at OCAD in 1988.

In 1992, Barbara traveled to Russia. She saw amazing paintings by Henri Matisse at the Hermitage Museum. She also saw art by Fernando Botero at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. On the same trip, she visited the Barnes Collection at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, France.

She then created a series of paintings based on Impressionist art. These paintings showed her own ideas about the Barnes Collection. Later, this series was shown at the Musee Hotel Baudy in Giverny, France. Throughout the 1990s, her art was shown in galleries in places like Yorkville, Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, and also in Zurich, Berlin, London, Paris, and Madrid.

The Extraordinary Journey Series

In 1996, Barbara McGivern went on an exciting off-road trip. She drove across the Middle East. She followed the path of a British adventurer named Wilfred Thesiger. She traveled through the deserts of Oman and Saudi Arabia. She covered about 3,000 miles in just eight days!

While driving through the deserts, she was amazed by the colors of the sand. This trip gave her a brand new idea for her art. Her acrylic paintings now showed the deserts from a Canadian point of view. She used gold as a color, not just as a valuable metal.

In 1998, Barbara said, "My paintings are inspired by my trips, especially to the deserts of Oman and the UAE. I found the dunes to be a magical place with colors that I never thought could be possible in such a vastness of sand."

She was asked to create 22 paintings for the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel. Her art was bought by important collectors. These included Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Al Qasimi family in the UAE. Many companies also bought her work.

Barbara was asked to paint two horses for Dubai's Celebration of Arabian Horses. Her horse painting, Victory, was bought by Frayland and Penquin, Engineering. It was the third highest-selling artwork at an auction held by Christie's, selling for 210,000 AED. Her second horse painting, Red Fantasy, was bought by Delwood Consultancy. In 2005, Barbara represented Canada at an art event called "Women & Art, A Global Perspective" in Sharjah, UAE.

Where Her Art Was Shown

Barbara McGivern's art was shown in many places. She had solo shows, which means only her art was displayed. She also took part in group shows with other artists. Her work was shown in galleries and museums in Canada, England, Germany, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates.

Some places where her art was shown include:

• Lando Gallery in Edmonton, Canada
• Gallerie Bohner in Manhiem, Germany
• Arts Club in London, England
• Majlis Gallery in Dubai, UAE
• Musée Hotel Baudy in Giverny, France

Her art was also part of museum exhibitions at:

• The Lindsay Gallery in Ontario, Canada
• Vernon Art Gallery in British Columbia, Canada
• Glynhurst Art Gallery in Brantford, Ontario
• Temiskaming Art Gallery in Haileybury, Ontario

Important Art Collections and Projects

Barbara McGivern's paintings are part of many important art collections. These include museums and private collections.

Some museums that own her work are:

• Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art in Toronto
• The Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa
• University College, University of Toronto

Her art is also in the collections of hospitals like Mt. Sinai Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto.

Many important people and companies bought her art for their collections. These include:

• HH General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a leader in the UAE
• Emirates Tower Hotel in Dubai, UAE
• Royal Collection in Sharjah, UAE
• Saatchi & Saatchi, a large advertising company

Barbara was also asked to create specific artworks for different groups. This is called a commission. Some of her commissions include:

• Swarovski Crystals in Dubai, UAE
• Emirates Tower Hotel in Dubai, UAE
• Unesco, for their Christmas cards in 2003–2004
• Matrix Hotel in Edmonton, Canada

Her art was also sold at auctions by famous auction houses like Christie's and Bonham's.