Illingworth (Buck) Kerr was a key figure in Alberta’s artistic development and a vital force in shaping the province’s modern visual identity. Born in Lumsden, Saskatchewan in 1905, Kerr studied at the Ontario College of Art from 1924 to 1927 under prominent members of the Group of Seven and later taught at the Vancouver School of Art. In 1947, he moved to Calgary to serve as director of the Art Department at the Provincial Institute of Technology (now Alberta University of the Arts).

Kerr retired from teaching in 1967, marking the beginning of a highly productive and successful period in his artistic career. His body of work distills the quiet beauty of the Alberta landscape. Through a skillful blend of abstraction and realism, and expert use of unexpected color harmonies, Kerr creates deeply atmospheric and uniquely regional expressions of place. Kerr is especially celebrated for his nocturne images—moonlit scenes of the Alberta Rockies, foothills, and prairies. Hill Forms at Night, painted in 1980, is a masterful example of a Kerr nocturne. With bold contrasts of light and shadow, rendered in Kerr’s nocturne palette of teal, lilac, sage and blues, the canvas presents a strong and poignant image of peaceful quietude in the Alberta foothills.

Kerr was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Calgary in 1973 and was named to the Order of Canada in 1983.