Van Christou photography exhibit opening

TRIANON HOSTING WORKS BY LATE LOCAL ARTIST

An exhibition and sale of the photographic works by the late Van Christou will be staged at the Trianon Gallery downtown starting with an opening reception Saturday afternoon from 2 until 10 p.m. The exhibition will run until Dec. 15

Van Christou, a Lethbridge native, was an enthusiastic and prolific photographer throughout his adult life. While he was a post-graduate student in orthodontics at the Eastman Institute of Dentistry in Rochester, N.Y. in 1948-49, he was introduced to the technical and artistic possibilities of photography.

He returned to Lethbridge in 1950 to work with Dr. J.S. Stewart for a one-year experience in general dentistry practice before specializing as an orthodontist. In 1952, he married Helen Afaganis and they decided to live in Lethbridge where he practised orthodontics and raised a family of four children.

His love of the beauty of southern Alberta, the open landscape of the prairies and the drama of the mountains, led him to begin painting and then to a passionate interest in photography. He took his camera with him wherever he went.

Many people will know his photos from the book he published in 1998, titled “Land of Shining Mountains.” His photographs are held in the collections of the Lethbridge Public Library, Lethbridge Regional Hospital and Lethbridge Seniors Centre. They have received awards and have been published in photographic journals.

Christou’s interest in the building and development of Nikka Yuko Centennial Gardens in Lethbridge led to an association that granted him access to photograph the garden through all seasons. The images have been printed in calendars and the book “Garden of Serenity,” written by Robert Hironaka and June Flanagan.

For many years, Christou was an active and enthusiastic member of the Lethbridge Photography Club. He enjoyed the challenge of new ideas and techniques in photography until his last days. His appreciation and involvement in the arts, and his love of the beauty of the natural landscape has resulted in a unique personal record of southern Alberta taken over the past 70 years.

The Christou family is pleased to present this show as a way to honour Van Christou’s generosity, enthusiasm and artistry. The exhibition is curated by Van’s son, Philip. Photographs will be on sale, giving people the opportunity to enjoy Christou’s art at home. Proceeds of the sale will be donated to the Allied Arts Council in Lethbridge to support arts education programs, something he always supported with passion.

The Trianon is located at 104 - 5 St. South.