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In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
DAVIDSON, Ian J. - "This is your world - it is a feast. Look into the greatness of the whole thing,...look, look...and then look further." Chogyam Trungpa, (Tibetan Buddhist Philosopher.) Ian Davidson considered his life to be "a journey of discovery of the visual world." On July 22nd, 2007 that journey came to an end. Ian died at St. Paul's Hospital after a brief illness, a day after his 82nd birthday. It was a journey that took him to the four corners of the globe, encompassed eight decades and was peppered with the colorful and often famous characters of the art world that shaped the artistic tastes of the 20th century. He was a man who looked carefully at his world and saw much that interested him. He remained powerful and feisty to the end, his courage and grace touching those who surrounded him. Ian was a graduate of Trinity College, Royal Roads Naval College and The University of British Columbia. He is survived by his brother Derek and wife Helen, his nephews Jim and Hugh and wives Lori and Bonnie and his niece Susan, his grand-nieces and nephews, Nicole, Natalie, Cameron and Leah who remember him fondly for his passion and eccentricities. He began his professional life in partnership with his father Jocelyn Davidson and in 1976 began a long and distinguished career in the Architectural partnership of Davidson Johnston Architects with Douglas Johnston, with whom he had a happy and productive working relationship. As a leader of Canada's artistic community, Ian's civic contributions were considerable and varied. He was a member of the Vancouver and West Vancouver civic design panels and a fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. He served as a director of the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Contemporary Art Gallery as well as the Advisory Board of the National Gallery of Canada, the City of Vancouver Special Committee on the Arts, the B.C. Place Citizens Advisory committee and the Canadian Cultural Property Review Board. He guest lectured at various Architectural schools in Canada and internationally and was a special consultant to the Banff Centre and the Canada Council. Mr. Davidson also served on the Board of Directors of the Seattle Art Fair and was the recipient of the Seattle Art Fair "Art Leadership Award" in 1995. Ian was an avid and astute collector of Art and a champion of many emerging artists. In addition to contributions of time, Ian left a rich endowment of Art to a number of public Institutions including the Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver General Hospital and St. Paul's Hospital. It is however his friends who were the greatest beneficiaries of his generosity, as his greatest pleasure in the feast of life, was to share the bounty of his remarkable vision. He will be remembered as thoughtful and loving; a man of enormous charm, wit and knowledge, but most of all for his childlike delight and infectious laughter a comedy of divine attributes. Goodbye dear friend. Memorial donations can be made to St. Paul's Hospital Foundation Art Program at 604-682-8206. Friends and family are invited to a celebration of Ian's life at the Elliott Louis Gallery, The Waterfall Building, 1540 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver on Friday, August 10th, 7 - 10 pm.
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