Thursday, personalities from the artistic world are expected at Victoria Hall in Westmount to celebrate the life and work of Montreal designer Bruce Roberts, who died on August 29 at the age of 76.
Posted yesterday at 10:00 a.m.
Illustrator with a flamboyant style, Bruce Roberts has collaborated with several newspapers during his prolific career, in addition to putting his stamp on many covers of novels and children’s albums. He has also worked on advertising projects, including posters, and his work has been seen on product packaging. He is particularly known for his numerous drawings of horses.
“Bruce was a very prolific illustrator,” says his partner Anna Gedalof. He worked for various newspapers for 30 years and also taught at UQAM for years. »
While acting as artistic director at The PressJulien Chung has often called on the particular talent of the designer, originally from Great Britain, but who spent most of his youth in Ontario and the United States.
Bruce was like his drawings, exuberant. He was as crazy as his lines were crazy. He was a very lively, very spontaneous person. An extraordinary character with a crazy way of thinking. His characters and his animals were very original.
Julien Chung, who worked with Bruce Roberts
In 2004, Bruce Roberts won the SI New House Award of Excellence for his work in the Vacances/Voyage journal of The Press in December 2003. “It is a prestigious prize which is awarded to the best illustrations published in newspapers all over the world”, explains Julien Chung.
IMAGE ARCHIVES THE PRESS
Bruce Roberts won an international design award for these illustrations published in The Press in 2003.
His illustrations for the children’s album The faithful elephants (400 shot editions) were also awarded the Governor General’s Award in 2001.
“His drawings spoke to everyone,” says Anna Gedalof. With a minimum of lines, he was able to say a lot. His pencil line was very free. Bruce was also very proud, when representing people from different communities, never to fall into stereotypes.
“In the 1980s, he often drew during plays and went backstage after the show to sell his work to the actors, recalls Mme Gedalof. The actors were not very rich, but several of them bought his drawings. He deeply touched the cultural milieu of Quebec. And Thursday night, we’re going to celebrate his memory. »