Harry Kiyooka

Painter and Printmaker – B.Ed, BFA, MA, MFA, RCA

Born in Calgary in 1928, Harry Mitsuo Kiyooka is an accomplished painter and printmaker. A Professor Emeritus of Art at the University of Calgary with tenure of 27 years, Harry holds both undergraduate and masters degrees in Arts and Fine Arts. As an artist, Harry is a generational bridge figure. Works from the early years of his career position him prominently within the international geometric abstraction style, while his 1980s Venezia series align him with the artists and aesthetics of the School of Paris.

In the 1960s Calgary, abstract art as a form of expression was at its best in the paintings of artists who, like Harry, began looking beyond local painting traditions – landscape and other regional subject matter – as a reaction to the impact of international developments (Abstract Expressionism) and by rising ambitions strengthened by travel and study abroad. Harry at the time stepped forth with optically rich oil paintings featuring band-aid strips of colour (Mary Beth Laviolette)

Harry travelled and worked extensively in Europe, Japan and the United States. In 1961, Harry returned to Calgary to assume a teaching position at the new University of Alberta, Calgary campus. He retired In 1988 after 27 years with the rank of Professor Emeritus of Art. He has been the recipient of the Canada Council Senior Fellowship and various awards such as First Prize for Painting at the 10th Winnipeg Show and the Jacox Award-Joint Prize, All Alberta Exhibition from the Edmonton Art Gallery. He has exhibited his artwork in many national and international exhibitions.

“Seeing is believing, that’s the importance of galleries.”

The Different Series of Harry’s Practice

Painting

60’s

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Aegean

70’s

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Kalpa

60’s

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The Victim

60’s

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Venezia

60’s

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Prints

60’s

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Harry’s CV at a Glance

Education

1953 – Bachelor of Education, University of Alberta
1954 – Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Manitoba
1956 – Masters of Arts, Michigan State University
1957 – Masters of Fine Arts, University of Colorado
1958 – 1961 – Study in Italy on Canada Council Scholarships

Professional Experience and Activities

 

Adjudicator

 

Art Talks

 

Art Related Travel

 

Membership

 

Legacy
2011   Founder and Board Member of  KIYOOKA OHE ART CENTRE (KOAC)

Recent Exhibitions

6th Biennial of Canadian Art;
85th R.C.A. Winter Exhibition;
Montreal Canadian Printmakers Showcase in 1973;
Spectrum Canada in 1976;
Olympic Games, Montreal;
25 Year Retrospective Exhibition,1978, Alberta College of Art Gallery in Calgary;
Tercera Bienal Americana de Grabado, Chile;
Exposition Internationales de Gravure, Ljubljana, Yugoslavia;
Primera Bienal de Artes Gráficas de América, Colombia;
First International Biennial Exhibition of Graphic Art and Multiples, Spain; Third Exposition Internationale de Gravure in Frechen, Germany.

Group Exhibitions

 

Publications Selected Bibliography

 

Awards/Grants

 

Selected Collections
Foundation for the Arts (provincial collection), Edmonton, AB
Alberta College of Art and Design, Calgary, AB
Alberta House, England
Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, ONT
Crown Collection, Rideau Hall, Ottawa, ONT
Cultural Archives, Edmonton, AB
Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, AB
Esso Resources Canada Limited, Calgary, AB
Glenbow Museum, Calgary, AB
Government of Alberta
Oxford Development Group, Edmonton Centre, Edmonton, AB
Petro-Canada Inc., Calgary, AB
Sculpture Centre, New York
Shell Canada Limited, Calgary, AB
University of Calgary, Calgary, AB

Commissions

 

Private Sculpture Commissions