Robert Young is one of the most respected artists working in Canada today. Known for his intricate drawing, painting and printmaking, his work has a strong intellectual appeal and an impeccable sense of craft. For more than 45 years he has pursued a bold personal image synthesizing the environment with his strong philosophical and spiritual beliefs. He also shared his love of art and art history with students at U.B.C. for 16 years as Associate Professor in the faculty of Fine Arts.
Robert John Young was born in Vancouver, BC, August 8, 1938. He grew up in Burnaby and has fond recollections as a child reading Will James’ books on Cowboy life. The rich prose and careful illustrations led to a fascination for horses - focussing an early love of drawing. His high school years at MacPherson Park and Burnaby South nurtured his budding artistic skills, but it was the cultural influence of listening to bebop jazz during that time which had the strongest influence on his imagery. Following graduation in 1956, he enrolled in Science at U.B.C. with hopes of a degree in Forestry. After the first year however, he took a brief hiatus, travelled to Europe and upon his return, enrolled in the Faculty of Fine Arts and never looked back.
Young has a long and illustrious exhibition history with more than 25 solo exhibitions throughout his career. His work is included in numerous private and public collections across Canada and in England, including the Vancouver Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa and of course, the Artists For Kids Gallery in North Vancouver. Many of his works have also been collected by Elton John.