Harry Mayerovitch (April 16, 1910 – April 16, 2004), was a Canadian architect, artist, illustrator, author and cartoonist. Mayerovitch was born in Montreal on April 16, 1910, to

Romanian-Jewish The history of the Jews in Romania concerns the Jews both of Romania and of Romanian origins, from their first mention on what is present-day Romanian territory. Minimal until the 18th century, the size of the Jewish population increased after ...

parents from the region of

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...

. After completing a Bachelor of Arts at McGill University, he earned his degree in architecture in 1933. Architecture projects were put on hold when Canada entered World War II, so Mayerovitch turned his attention to painting, with one painting, a war-themed work entitled ''Home Front'', exhibited at the

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA; french: Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, MBAM) is an art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest art museum in Canada by gallery space. The museum is located on the historic Golden Square ...

. This work garnered praise from ''

Ottawa Journal The ''Ottawa Journal'' was a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from 1885 to 1980. It was founded in 1885 by A. Woodburn as the ''Ottawa Evening Journal''. Its first editor was John Wesley Dafoe who came from the ...

'' critic Robert Ayer, which in turn caught the attention of

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

(NFB) founder

John Grierson John Grierson (26 April 1898 – 19 February 1972) was a pioneering Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. In 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" in a review of Robert J. Fla ...

, who appointed Mayerovitch artistic director of the NFB's Wartime Information Board's Graphic Arts Division—even though Mayerovitch had never designed posters before. From 1942 to 1944, Mayerovitch produced World War II propaganda posters, using the artist's signature "Mayo." Following the war, Mayerovitch resumed work as an architect and became active in urban planning. Beginning in 1965, he taught at McGill's School of Architecture, and remained on faculty until his death. His published works include the book, ''How Architecture Speaks''. In 2000, his 90th birthday was marked with the planting of a magnolia tree in the school of architecture's Centennial Garden. He was a member of the Order of Architects of Quebec, the Corporation of Urbanists of Quebec, the

Canadian Institute of Planners The Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) is a professional organization in Canada for those involved in land use planning. It is responsible for advocating at national and international levels for members, developing public policy positions, and ...

, 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 ...

, the Canadian Society of Graphic Arts, and was a Fellow of the

Royal Architectural Institute of Canada The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) is a not-for-profit, national organization that has represented architects and architecture for over 100 years, in existence since 1907. The RAIC is the leading voice for excellence in the built ...

. His final published work before his death on his 94th birthday in 2004 was ''Way to Go'', a collection of wordless cartoons published that same year by

Drawn & Quarterly Drawn & Quarterly is a publishing company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, specializing in comics. It publishes primarily comic books, graphic novels and comic strip collections. The books it publishes are noted for their artistic content, ...

Press.

References

External links

Wild about Harry
*Harry Mayerovitch fonds and Mayerovitch-Bernstein fonds,

Canadian Centre for Architecture The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA; french: Centre Canadien d'Architecture) is a Architecture museum, museum of architecture and research centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 1920, rue Baile (1920, Baile Street), between r ...

Harry Mayerovitch
Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada 1850-1900
Harry Mayerovitch - Mayerovitch and Bernstein

Museum of Jewish Montreal The Museum of Jewish Montreal (MJM) (french: Musée du Montréal juif (''MMJ'')) is an online and mobile museum that collects, maps, and presents the history and experiences of the Montreal Jewish community through exhibits, walking tours and throug ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayerovitch, Harry 1910 births 2004 deaths Anglophone Quebec people Architecture academics Canadian architecture writers Architects from Montreal Artists from Montreal Canadian people of Romanian-Jewish descent Canadian poster artists Jewish architects Jewish Canadian artists Jewish Canadian writers McGill School of Architecture alumni Academic staff of McGill University National Film Board of Canada people Writers from Montreal Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts