Zeitgeist Time Gestalt, 1982
Girls, 1957
Three Figures
People in the North, 1960
New Spirit Moving In, 1963
Baumwinter, 1954 (#1624)
Waiting at Night, 1959 (#1614)
Walking, wondering, 1959 (#4700)
Coming, Going, 1957
Pomeranian Fish Wife in Victoria, 1981
Meeting in a Dream, 1981
Walk into the Past
Baumbrucke in Stettin, 1948 (#3199)
Pyraeus
Sphynx, 1962
Arc de Triumph, 1981
Cape Sunion, Greece, 1982
Copenhagen, 1983
Figure Group
Horsemen
Liebes Paar, 1981
Little Town in German
Love Goddesses, 1982
Mykonos III
Sabbat on the Heart Mountain, 1981
Spring Time
Untitled (figure)
Vitales Madchen
Herbert Siebner
1925 - 2003
RCA
Price Range: $1200-$55,000
Siebner was born in 1925 in Germany. He studied fine arts under Dr. Ernst Schumacher (1935-37), at the Schiller Real Gymnasium, Stettin (1937-41), under Professor Atelier Max Richter, Stettin (1941-43), and finally at the College of Art in Berlin (1946-49).
He has had numerous one man shows and group exhibitions throughout Germany, France, the United States and Canada. In 1954 he immigrated to Canada.
Siebner was originally from Germany and immigrated to Canada in 1954.
He studied as a painter in Europe before he immigrated and had several exhibitions in Germany, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, and Italy. He also studied at the Berlin academy in the expressionist tradition. Of the 500 applicants that applied to the Academy only 50 were chosen, Siebner was one of those students. Later, only a selection of these students was chosen to enter a master-atelier. Here the students learnt from the basics as the great masters did (such as Monet), they learnt how to make their own paints, use texture and apply glazes and varnishes. This knowledge and discipline has all been but lost today. He was taught the traditional way and was apprentice for a number of years under some of histories most major expressionists, such as Max Kaus. His personal philosophy of creativity was to remain true regardless of the revolutionary stylistic changes of the times. His philosophy was to create and learn and become a master on his own. He was not one to copy or conform to the times; he learnt from other great painters and created what he felt. He was dedicated to work in the tradition that was true to a painter and that was to create and to live through his paintings. He wanted to express himself through art much like a musician does through his music, or a writer does through his words. In a way the art is Herbert Siebner’s words. He is telling a story. His work is not literal. He tells his stories through color, light, composition, and later symbolism. He stayed true to philosophy even throughout the war, and after the war when he was commissioned to paint officers for 12 cigarettes. On the death of his brother, he immigrated to Canada, and hence forth became an artist of own accord.
He taught several classes in Victoria and at the University of British Columbia. He was considered to live in his work and that art was his life. He has collections with: The City of Berlin, The Seattle Art Museum, The Victoria Art Gallery, The Royal Ontario Museum, the Princess Fernanda von Thurn and Taxis, amongst others. He has had several exhibitions in Canada, Europe, and the Untied States though out his painting career, totaling approximately 150 exhibitions. He was mentioned in Who’s who of Canada as one the west’s most important Canadian artists. He found his own in Canada and meeting with Lorne Harris in earlier years confirm his sense of belonging. This past September he was given a show (a retrospective) of 50 years of painting in Canada. He was the founder of the Limner group; a group to which Maxwell Bates was a member. He was a hallmark and very integral person in the arts community and was said to be “the defining moment of the city’s [Victoria] art history” by Classic scholar Peter L. Smith. He was and will remain to be for year to come one of Canada’s most important painters and printmakers.
There are a number of articles and books about Herbert Siebner. I have several here at the gallery. He was truly a master and an important painter. He is certainly not an easy read but a painter that will withstand time. His work will definitely define Canadian history for years to come.
PUBLICATIONS
Patricia E. Bovey. 1996. A Passion for Art: the Art and Dynamics of the Limners. Sono Nis Press, Victoria, British Colombia.
Creative Canada (Volume I). Who’s who in International Art. Who’s who in American Art.
Anthony Emery. 1958. Canadian Art, Spring. The Art of Herbert Siebner.
International Register of Profiles. Men of Achievement (Vol. 6). International Directory of Arts. Marquis: Who’s who in the West.
Dictionary of International Biography, Canadian who’s who. American Biographical Institute.
Herbert Siebner. 1974. Twelve Graphics. The Malahat Review, 31, July.
Herbert Siebner and Robin Skelton. 1967. Inscriptions.
Herbert Siebner and Robin Skelton. 1972. Muse book.
Herbert Siebner. 1970. Color Line and Form. Publishing House, Sidney, B.C.
Herbert Siebner and Robin Skelton. 1993. Herbert Siebner, RCA: A Celebration.
Robin Skelton. 1979. Herbert Siebner: A monograph. Sono Nis Press, Victoria, British Columbia.
Nicolas Tuele. 1984, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Dualities.
Don’t (Film). with Karl Spreitz
TV Victoria, B.C., H. Siebner: Artist After 70
AWARDS
1952 Olympic Committee Design, Berlin, Germany
1953 Heraldic Design Award, City of Berlin
1956 Reid Award for Graphics, Canadian Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, Toronto
1957 B.C. sculpture award
1957 Seattle Art Museum
1959 Award for painting, Winnipeg Art Gallery
1960 Purchase award, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
1961 Award for painting, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
1961 Honorable Mention, Northwest Annual, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, USA
1962 Canada Council Senior Arts Fellowship
1973 Honorary Citizenship of Victoria, BC
MEMBER
1950 Berufsverband Bildender Kuenstler, Berlin, Germany.
1958 Canadian Group of Painters.
1973 Royal Canadian Academy.
MURALS
The University of Victoria, BC
The Crown House, Victoria, BC
The Provincial Museum, Victoria, BC
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1950 Gallery Der Teekessel, Berlin Germany.
1954 Gallery Gerd Rosen, Berlin Germany.
1954 Norfolk Gallery, Victoria, BC
1955 Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC
1956 Hart House, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
1957 Seligman Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA
1958 Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC
1958 Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC
1958 New Design Gallery, Vancouver, BC
1959 Simone Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA
1959 Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC
1960 Seligman Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA
1960 College of Education, Bellingham, Tennessee, USA
1960 Simone Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA
1961 Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC
1961 Seligman Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA
1961 University of British Colombia, Vancouver, BC
1961 Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC
1961 Gallery 8, Sanata Barbara,
1962 The Point Group, Victoria, BC
1962 Museum of Art, University of Oregon, Eugene, USA
1963 The Hilton Gallery of the Senate of the Arts, Berlin, Germany
1963 Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC
1964 Seligman Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA
1964 Simone Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA
1964 New Design Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA
1965 Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Quebec
1965 Confederation Art Gallery and Museum, Charlottetown, PEI
1966 Pandoras Box Gallery, Victoria, BC
1966 Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC
1967 Pandoras Box Gallery, Victoria, BC
1967 Blue Barn Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario
1967 Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, BC
1967 Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, Washington, BC
1968 Print Gallery, Victoria, BC
1968 Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, BC
1969 Print Gallery, Victoria, BC
1970 Retrospective Exhibition, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC
1970 Gallery 1, Argritoglio, Milan
1970 Print Gallery, Victoria, BC
1970 Victoria Art Gallery, Retrospective Show
1971 Gallery Schubert, Lugano
1971 Gallery Schubert, Milan
1971 Print Gallery, Victoria, BC
1973 The Provincial Archives, British Colombia
1973 Emily Walter Gallery, Vancouver, BC
1974 Bau-Xi Gallery, Victoria, BC
1976 Windsor Utley Gallery, Victoria, BC
1979 University of Victoria
1980 Media Centre, Vancouver, BC
1983 Eroscape at the Backroom Gallery, Victoria, BC
1984 Dualities at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, 30 years in Canada, Victoria, BC
1986 Retrospective Exhibition, The City of West Berlin.
1989 Before Canada, Vancouver, B.C., Victoria, BC
1991 H. S. Museum of Expressionism
1991 Four Decades of Art, Calgary, AB
1992 Trends of Expressionism, Weisenstein Gallery, Victoria, BC
1993 Atelier Gallery, Victoria, BC
1993 Wincherster Gallery, Victoria, BC
1994 40 Years in B.C., Victoria, BC
1995 Siebner at 70 in B.C., retrospective exhibition, Victoria - Fort St. John.
1996 After 150 One-Man-Exhibitions, Stettin/Pomerania
2004 Celebration, Wallace Galleries Ltd, Calgary, AB
2004 Retrospect, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, BC
2004 Siebner, Winchester Gallery, Victoria, BC
2010 Siebner, Winchester Gallery, Victoria, BC
2012 Elements of Surprise, Winchester Gallery, Victoria, BC
2013 Wallace Galleries, Calgary, AB
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1949 Freunde Der Bildenden Kunst, Berlin, Germany
1953 Junge Kuenstler, Relingerahausen; Kunst im Tiergarten, Germany
1953 Kunst im Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany
1958 Ruthermore Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1956 Canadian Group of Painters
1956 Quarterly group show: Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC
1956 Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC
1957 Northwest Annual, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA
1957 Brussels World Fair
1958 Two Man Show with Tony Onley; Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC
1958 International Exhibition, Graphics, Lugano
1959 West Coast Painters, Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
1959 Ontario Society of Artists
1959 Yugoslavia
1959 Canadian Biennial exhibition
1960 Western Painters, Stratford Festival, Stratford, ON
1960 The Canadian Group of Painters
1960 Ontario Society of Artists, ON
1960 British Colombia Society of Artists, Vancouver, BC
1960 The Point Group, Victoria, BC
1960 British Comobia Painters, San Francisco, CA
1961 Victoria Art Gallery, Victoria, BC
1961 Two Man Show: with Elza Mayhew, University of British Colombia, Vancouver, BC
1961 The Canadian Group of Painters
1961 Ontario Society of Artists
1961 The Point Group, Victoria, BC
1961 British Colombia Society of Artists
1962 The Point Group, Victoria, BC
1962 Canadian Bienniale Exhibition
1962 Seattle World Fair, Seattle, WA
1965 Canadian Group of Painters
1965 British Colombia Society of Artists
1967 The Canadian Group of Painters
1967 British Colombia Society of Artists
1967 Albert White Gallery, Toronto, ON
1968 Two Man Show (with Maxwell Bates), Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA
1972 The Limners, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC
1973 The Limners, Provincial Archives of British Colombia, Victoria, BC
1975 German Artists in Canada, the Goethe Institute of Montreal, Montreal, QC
1975 The Limners, Confederation Art Gallery and Museum, Charlottetown, PEI
1975 Universite de Moncton, Moncton, NB
1975 New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, NB
1975 Memorial University Art Gallery, Rochester, NY
1975 University of New Brunswick Art Centre, Fredericton, NB
1977 Two Man Show (with Karl Spreitz), Windsor Utley Gallery, Victoria, BC
1977 The Limners, Shaw Remmington Gallery, Toronto, ON
1978 The Limners, Windsor Utley Gallery, Victoria, BC
PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS
1957 Brussels World’s Fair Exhibition
1958 Canadian Biennial, Ottawa, Ontario.
1958 International Graphic Exposition Luegano, Switzerland
1959 Graphic Exhibition, Lublijana, Yugoslavia.
1959 Canadian Biennial, Ottawa, Ontario.
1962 Seattle Worlds Fair Exposition
1962 Canadian Biennial, Ottawa, Ontario.
1966 Allied Arts Catalogue of the Royal institute of Canada
1969 International Triennale of Xilography, Capri, Italy
1969 Canadian Printmakers, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario.
1969 Northwest Printmakers, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.
1972 Exposición Internacional de la Xilografia Contemporaranea, Museo Espanol de Arte Contemporaneo, Nadrid (during 1971-72 this exhibition was also seen in Ciudad Real, Jaen, Baeza, Ubeda, Cordoba, Merida, Serilla, Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz, Algecira and Melilla).
1979 25 years in B.C. Exhibition, Maltwood Museum, University of Victoria
1980 Retrospective exhibition, Herbert Siebner, Media Centre, Vancouver, B.C.
1981 German-Canadian Symposium, University of Montreal, Quebec.
1982 Limner Exhibition, Edmonton, Alberta.
1989 Graphic-Biennal, Lubljana
TEACHING APPOINTMENTS
1954-58 Open Studio for teaching art, Studio Group, Victoria, B.C.
1958-60 Instructor for painting and graphics, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
1962 workshop in B.C.
1962 The University of B.C.
1963 Guest of Honour, Berlin Akedemie
Visiting Professor, The University of Washington
1964 Teaching Summer school, University of B.C.
1966 The University of Alberta
1967 The University of Victoria
1968 The University of Victoria
COLLECTIONS
The City of Berlin
The Seattle Art Museum
The Victoria Art Gallery
The City of Victoria
The University of Victoria
Edmonton Art Gallery
The Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
The Confederation Art Museum, Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s
The Kleinburg Museum
The City of Carpi. Museum of Xylographia
Vancouver Art Gallery
B.C. Provincial Collection
Princess Fernanda von Thurn and Taxis
Ocelot International Inc.
and numerous private collections worldwide.