By KIRSTEN BOLTON
For ArtSpring
In April 1999, Robert and Birgit Bateman cut the official ribbon to open ArtSpring. This May, coinciding with Robert’s 95th birthday, ArtSpring is proud to present a rare and intimate look into the lives of two of Canada’s most influential artistic and conservation voices.
Confluence: The Bateman Collection promises to be more than an exhibition; it is a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse into the private world of Robert and Birgit Bateman, partners in life, art, travel and environmental advocacy. The exhibition opens with a reception on Saturday, May 17 from 4 to 6 p.m. and continues daily through May 30, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Best known for his breathtakingly realistic wildlife paintings, Robert Bateman has long stood at the intersection of artistic mastery and ecological awareness. His accolades — including the Order of Canada, the Order of British Columbia and, most recently, the King Charles III Coronation Medal — barely hint at the depth of his impact as an artist, educator and conservationist.
Alongside him is Birgit Freybe Bateman, a globally exhibited photographer whose lens has captured everything from spirit bears in the Great Bear Rainforest to Maasai families in Africa and icebergs in Antarctica. Together, their creative journey spans decades, continents and causes.
Curated by ArtSpring’s new gallery curator Zoe Zafiris-Casey, the exhibition offers a profound narrative of this shared life.
“Robert and Birgit Bateman have a love story for the ages,” she said. “A love of our planet, a love of education, a love of art and a deep love for each other.”
The show is a deeply personal anthology with hundreds of artworks, photographs, carvings, cultural artifacts, family snapshots and story-rich objects, carefully moved from the Batemans’ home and storage. Visitors will encounter pieces by Arthur Lismer, Jack Shadbolt, Robert Motherwell, Kenojuak Ashevak and Rockwell Kent, alongside Robert’s own iconic Vancouver Island Elegy triptych and Birgit’s photographs from their globe-spanning adventures. Several Bateman family members’ works will be shown, including a touching portrait by son Alan, capturing his father in a quiet canoe moment.
Birgit recalls their early years collecting.
“Both being artists, we knew the importance of buying art at community sales so that other artists could earn a living.” From UBC art sales to remote villages in Papua New Guinea, their collection grew with intention. “The criteria for an item was that it needed to have artistic merit and be functional within its culture, not for the tourist trade,” she added. “It was the same standard a museum would use.”
More than an art show, Confluence is a record of advocacy and impact. From protesting logging in the Carmanah Valley to working with Jane Goodall and leading expeditions with Canadian Geographic, the Batemans’ legacy is painted not just in oils and photographs but in action. Their philanthropic approach to art publishing has raised millions of dollars for environmental causes, and Robert’s workshops and talks have inspired generations of young conservationists.
“Nature is magic,” he often says — and he’s spent a lifetime proving it.
The exhibition’s title, Confluence, speaks to the meeting of art, activism and affection — a flowing together of vision and vocation.
“When I first flew over Africa in 1974,” Birgit recalled, “I felt a change come over me. It was humbling. It felt like the beginning of humanity.”
That spirit of reverence pulses through every image, every object, every story told in this extraordinary collection, one shaped by a lifetime of purpose, passion and love.
The show is sponsored in part by Seth Berkowitz Photography.