Winnipeg Arts Council

Modernist art for a modernist building: Works by St. Vital artist Bruce Head

The St. Vital Library features a collection of 10 works by Winnipeg artist Bruce Head, a celebrated modernist with deep ties to the community. These artworks, spanning nearly five decades, include paintings, a sculpture, and shaped canvases that showcase Head’s innovative approach to modernism and his connection to the Prairie landscape. The collection includes Untitled works on hardboard from the 1960s, shaped canvases from the 1970s, a bent aluminum mobile from the 1990s and abstract landscapes from the 2000s. Head’s use of materials like stitched canvases, metallic paint, and textured surfaces highlights his dedication to pushing artistic boundaries. His work fits beautifully within the library’s Modernist architecture.

Bruce Head

Born in St. Boniface in 1931 and spending most of his life in St. Vital, Bruce Head and is recognized as a trailblazing artist who helped change visual art on the Prairies. He graduated from the University of Manitoba School of Art in 1953, and his work was inspired by the Prairie landscape. Head combined abstract shapes with natural elements in his art. In the 1970s, he was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy, and his work is part of important collections like the National Gallery of Canada. He created The Wall, a massive public artwork in the underground concourse below Portage and Main. At over 400 feet in circumference, it’s the largest cast in place concrete artwork made by an artist in Canada. Head also worked as a graphic designer for the CBC for more than 30 years. He passed away in 2009, leaving behind a legacy of bold and creative works that still inspire people today.

Public Art Nearby

  • Birth Centre, 603 St. Mary’s Road

    The Birthing Project

  • St. Anne's at St. Mary's Road

    Watershed

  • land/mark — Photo by Robert Tinker
    Awasisak Mēskanow (formerly Bishop Grandin Greenway), near NW corner of Abinojii Mikanah (formerly Bishop Grandin) & St. Anne's Road

    land/mark

Visit the gallery