Molly Joan Lamb Bobak

Molly Joan Lamb Bobak was born February 25, 1922, in Vancouver, British Columbia. She attended the Vancouver School of Art from 1938 to 1941, studying under Jack Shadbolt and Charles Scott. Bobak joined the Canadian Women’s Army Corps in 1942 and, in 1945, became the first female Canadian war artist; she painted in this capacity at Aldershot, in Britain, and later in Holland. She wrote an article about her experiences titled “I Love the Army,” and was quoted as saying, “It was the humanity I tried to capture in my paintings.” On her return to Canada in 1946, she married Bruno Bobak, and together they moved to Fredericton, New Brunswick. In 1950-51, Bobak painted in France after receiving a scholarship from the French government, and in 1960-61, she returned to Europe on a Canada Council grant. By 1973, she had become a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Bobak’s paintings are in many collections around the world, but she was also an accomplished illustrator and teacher. She worked for various federal and provincial arts organizations, including the National Film Board of Canada, and served on the National Gallery’s Ottawa Advisory Board.