Ayfer Gursoz
Born in Istanbul (1935) of Russian and Austrian parents. Immigrated to Canada in 1982. Lived and worked in Quebec until her death in 2008.
TRAINING & TEACHING:
1995 – 2008 Private teaching in Eastern Townships
1984 – 1994 StudioTeaching in Old-Montreal
1972 – 1981 Teaching at the Urdang Academy in London, (England)
1971 Guilde Hall member, London, (England)
1962-1964 John-Cass School of Art in London (England)
1958-1960 La Grande Chaumière in Paris (France)
1953-1957 École des Beaux-arts de Paris (France)
EXHIBITIONS:
2005 – 2007
Galerie Brigitte Desroches , Montréal
Blue Heron Gallery , Vermont
2001 – 2005
Arleen G. Becker Gallery, New York
Blue Heron Gallery, Vermont
Galerie Brigitte Desroches, Montréal
Sales & rental Gallery, Montréal Museum of Fine Arts
2000
Galerie Borduas, Granby
Galerie Brigitte Desroches, Montréal
1999
Arleen G. Becker Gallery, New York
Galerie Bernard Desroches, Montréal
Sales & rental Gallery, Montréal Museum of Fine Arts
1997
Arleen G. Becker Gallery, New York
Sales & rental Gallery, Montréal Museum of Fine Arts
1996
Arleen G. Becker, Gallery, New York
Galerie Bernard Desroches, Montréal
1995
Arleen G. Becker Gallery, New York
Emberley Galleries, Halifax
1994
Sales & Rental Gallery, Montréal Museum of Fine Arts
1992
Art Expo, Los Angeles
Galerie Yvon Desgagnés, Baie Saint-Paul
1991
Century Art Gallery, New York
Exhibitions Chicago, Atlanta
1987
Galerie de Bellefeuille, Montréal – *Solo exhibition. *
1986
Ludovic Gallery, Montréal
1985
Art Lender Gallery, Montréal
1984
Ludovic Gallery, Montréal
1982
Jardin des Arts, Mexico
1980
Académie Urdang, London
1971
The Guildhall, London
Annexe Gallery, London*
AWARDS:
1965 Silver medal at the International Painting Exhibition in Budapest, Hungary
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1993-1994 Listed in Guide Vallée
1987 Listed in Investir dans les oeuvres d’art by Louis Bruens
1980 Mentioned in the London, England Artist Magazines and Books
COLLECTIONS :
Standard Life Insurance Company(Montréal)
Johnny Carson – private collection
Marc Vanasse – private collection (Executive Director, Petro-Canada, Québec)
Dr Jacques Valiquette – private collection
Also included in several private collections in Montreal, in Canada, the United States, London, Mexico and Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Ayfer Gürsöz
Review by André Seleanu
Trained in the disciplined setting – in the very tradition of excellence of French art academies – Ayfer Gursoz softens and modulates painterly expression to reflect states of spirit characteristic of South-Eastern Europe. The desire to understand the Other exudes from every one of her paintings, while such otherness embraces both the social realm and natural phenomena. An insatiable and well-disposed curiosity, devoid of even a hint of irony, informs the impulse to paint. The gift of observing spans across the entire oeuvre: whether the artist deals with the posture of a model, or tries to assess the exact shade of a sunny sky or of a wintry landscape – often times indeed in a Canadian setting: each and every colour area is constructed upon a preliminary exact evaluation and upon an accurate analysis of the esthetic motif.
Both landscapes and portraits accommodate still – and will no doubt continue to do so for as long as these works shall exist – a concentrated psychological tension leading to a sustained exchange between the painter and the observer. As he takes his time to look and to reflect, the viewer of Ayfer Gursoz’s paintings may in the intimacy of his private space discover, at once a novel aspect of the motif, and in addition of the painter’s intention, as well as the very process of a conversation between the viewer and the painter – and equally, between the viewer and the canvass. We may indeed refer to a form of phenomenological art that illustrates the predisposition to communicate between different psyches, along lines postulated by the philosopher Husserl. How does the artist proceed to realize this effect? We may attempt an answer to this question by observing the subtle variation of line and colour : a flux of continuous change controlled by a masterful hand, a hand strengthened by the practice of the sketch and the exploration of colour.
Andre Seleanu
Art critic and journalist for Vie des Arts
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