David Thauberger, (born 1948) is a Canadian painter known for work that is influenced by popular culture, postcard imagery, folk art, and utopian urban planning concepts.

Career

Born in

Holdfast, Saskatchewan Holdfast ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Sarnia No. 221 and Census Division No. 6. The village is located 2 km east of Highway 2 on Highway 732, about 97.6&nbs ...

, Thauberger received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1971 from the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

(Regina campus) where he studied with

David Gilhooly David Gilhooly (also known as David James Gilhooly III) (April 15, 1943 – August 21, 2013), was an American Ceramic art, ceramicist, Sculpture, sculptor, Painting, painter, Printmaking, printmaker, and professor. He is best known for pioneer ...

in ceramics. Gilhooly served as an early mentor to him as well as other artists of the region. In 1972, Thauberger received a master's degree in Art from

California State University, Sacramento California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is the eleventh oldest school in the 23-campus California ...

. He also received a Master of Fine Arts from the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fal ...

in 1973. He actually had no formal training as a painter, but turned an interest in folk art (he curated exhibitions and contributing to documentaries and art books about folk art) into an influence when he began painting in the late seventies, creating iconic images of the prairies. The approach in his deadpan images of local architecture and landscape appropriated from sources like postcards, television or magazines is satirical. In 1988, the

MacKenzie Art Gallery The MacKenzie Art Gallery (MAG; french: Musee d’art MacKenzie) is an art museum located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The museum occupies the multipurpose T. C. Douglas Building, situated at the edge of the Wascana Centre. The building holds e ...

in Regina surveyed his work of the last decade. In 2015, the

Mendel Art Gallery The Mendel Art Gallery was a major creative cultural centre in City Park, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Operating from 1964 to 2015, it housed a permanent collection of more than 7,500 works of art. The gallery was managed by the city-owned Saskatoon G ...

in Saskatoon and MacKenzie Art Gallery collaborated in organizing a comprehensive overview of his work curated by Sandra Fraser for the Mendel, and Timothy Long for the MacKenzie, titled "David Thauberger: Road Trips and Other Diversions". The show had an extensive tour across Canada. In 2023, Thauberger exhibited ''Endless Summer'' at Slate Fine Art Gallery in Regina. Among his major commissions are postage stamp designs for

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the opera ...

(1982, 1992), a mural for a Cineplex Odeon theatre (Richmond, Virginia, 1987), and a mural for

Via Rail Canada Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...

(for inside a train which criss-crossed the country in 1988). Thauberger`s work is in major public collections including the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the l ...

, Art Gallery of Ontario, Art Gallery of Hamilton,

Winnipeg Art Gallery The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) is an art museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Its permanent collection includes over 24,000 works from Canadian, Indigenous Canadian, and international artists. The museum also holds the world's largest collect ...

, and others. His papers are in the Library of the

University of Regina The University of Regina is a public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchew ...

Honours

In 2008, he was made a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

in recognition for being "a pillar of prairie folk art". In 2012, he was made a member of the

Saskatchewan Order of Merit The Saskatchewan Order of Merit (french: Ordre du Mérite de la Saskatchewan) is a civilian Award, honour for merit in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Instituted in 1985 by Lieutenant Governor of Saska ...

in recognition for being "an advocate of prairie folk art, a knowledgeable collector and volunteer." He is a recipient of the

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (french: Médaille du jubilé de diamant de la reine Elizabeth II) or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

in 2012, the Lieutenant Governor's Saskatchewan Artist Award in 2009 and is a member of the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

. Thauberger also has contributed to Canadian art through such governing boards as notably the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, the Canada Council for the Arts, and Canada Council Art Bank.

References

External links

* * https://esask.uregina.ca/entry/thauberger_david_1948-.jsp Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan entry {{DEFAULTSORT:Thauberger, David 1948 births Living people Canadian sculptors Canadian male sculptors California State University, Sacramento alumni Members of the Order of Canada Members of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit University of Montana alumni University of Saskatchewan alumni Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts