Q&A with Richard Ivey, HBA ’72, LLD ’13, on the art displayed throughout the School.
The collection of Canadian art displayed throughout the Ivey Business School is being built by an Art Committee consisting of Richard W. Ivey, HBA ’72, LLD ’13, and Siamak Hariri, the Building’s architect. All works are purchased by Richard W. Ivey, Richard M. Ivey, HBA ’47, LLD ’79, and Rosamond A. Ivey, HBA ’82.
I've been passionately collecting contemporary Canadian art for the past 20 years. The walls of my house, my office, and my cottage are full so I am always looking for opportunities to continue to satisfy my passion. Charitable institutions that I am associated with invariably have walls and no budgets for art, so I have turned my attention to them.”—Richard W. Ivey
Q&A with Richard W. Ivey:
Why do you think adding art to the Building is important, and how do you hope the art will impact the students, faculty, and staff?
Richard: Art can inspire creativity, curiosity, and perhaps awe in those people that take the time to contemplate and enjoy it. Business thrives on curiosity and creativity so it’s important for the opportunity to be provided.
Is there an overriding theme to the collection? Anything that ties the pieces together?
Richard: A number of works in the collection appeal specifically to my idea of the intersection of art and a business school. Additionally, each artist represented in the collection is a Canadian; this insistence on Canadian talent is present throughout my personal collecting practice as a whole.
What were you drawn to when it came to choosing each piece?
Richard: I kept in mind that the predominant population of the Building is young men and women in their twenties and early thirties, so I leaned towards emerging and early-career artists. Consideration was also given to seeking both male and female artists, and artists from a number of different geographical regions in Canada.
Why a certain piece for a particular space?
Richard: The initial driver for providing great art to the new Ivey Building was scale. The walls are enormous, so I realized I would need large works of art. I also realized that this was the first time in my life I could, or perhaps should, commission a couple of works specifically for the space. That was a brand new experience which I was ultimately very satisfied with.
For more on the Ivey art collection, visit ivey.uwo.ca/discover/art, or peruse the art for yourself on Google’s Indoor Street View of the Ivey Business School.
