WILLIAM BLAIR BRUCE
(1859 - 1906)

William Blair Bruce was born in Hamilton, Ontario. His formal art training began when he attended the Hamilton Central School and the Hamilton Collegiate Institute. Bruce also focused on law during his schooling. However, he set aside law to work in an architect's office as a draftsman and took art classes at night. In 1881, he took up art full time and went to Paris to study under Fleury and Bourguereau. After five years of apprenticeship in Europe, Bruce returned to Canada to open an exhibition of 200 paintings. The voyage from Europe proved to be disastrous to Bruce's career. Unfortunately, the transport ship sank in the Gulf of the St. Lawrence, destroying all 200 paintings. This was a devastating loss for Bruce and he ultimately suffered from a nervous breakdown. He was able to recover after some time and returned to Paris to continue painting.

In Paris, he met a Swedish sculptor, Karoline Benedicks. They were married in 1888 and together, concentrated on their art. During the following years, they established an artist's colony and a museum in the Island of Gotland. Blair suddenly died in Stockholm in 1906 while working on a large canvas painting. After h is death, his wife and his father, arranged the shipment of several of his paintings to Hamilton, ON for a memorial collection. The works became founding pieces of the Art Gallery of Hamilton's collection. In addition, Bruce's legacy has been carried forward by a memorial park and gardens which surrounds the family home.


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