Saskatchewan Artist

Oliver Bevan

Oliver Bevan was born in Peterborough, England, in 1941. He studied at London's Royal College of Art, completing a Post Graduate Diploma in painting in 1964. After working as a lecturer at the West Surrey College of Art (1964-1970) and Kingston Polytechnic (1969-1977), he moved to Canada to teach at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. He worked in Saskatchewan for two years before returning to Europe, his approach to painting transformed.

Bevan had been exhibiting his paintings in England since the 1960s and had found himself experimenting with a variety of styles, seeking ones that best fit his interest and passion. He embraced the influence of architecture, kinetics, and optical illusions before his experience in Saskatchewan opened him to new perspectives. In particular, his contact with Saskatchewan artist Mina Forsyth encouraged him to pursue his own unique work, taking a more representational approach to subjects in his own experience. On this discovery, Bevan writes, “What a relief to be out of the imperious grasp of Modernism. I permitted myself a slow return to representation and a different illusionism, taking for subjects my surroundings and experiences; and so it has continued over three decades.”

Bevan has held numerous solo exhibitions in the United Kingdon, Canada, and France, and has participated in group exhibitions across Europe. He has received commissions for book covers and for public works, including paintings for Gatwick Airport (1990) and for London Transport (1993). Bevan's work is included in the collections of the Saskatchewan Arts Board, City of London, University of Wales, Museum of London, York Art Gallery, John Hopkins University (Baltimore), St. Peter's College (Oxford), and Middlesbrough Art Gallery, among many others.

Bevan lives in Uzès, France, where he continues to paint and to teach.