Ivan Peries

Ivan Peries

Ivan Peries (1921-1988) (Sinhala: අයිවන් පීරිස්) was a well-known Sri Lankan painter. Life events Ivan Peries was born on 31 July 1921 in Dehiwala as the son of Dr. and Mrs. James Peries (Dharmasiri, 1990). His elder brother was Lester James Peries (1919-2018) who later became a well-known film director in the country. Ivan studied painting under David Paynter and then Harry Pieris (Dharmasiri, 1990). He was among the early members of the Colombo '43, a group of Sri Lankan artists established in August 1943. On a scholarship granted by the Sri Lankan Government, Ivan went to England in 1946 and studied art in the Anglo-French Art Center (Dharmasiri, 1990). He returned to Sri Lanka in 1949 but went back to England in 1953 and lived there with his wife Veronica till his death (Dharmasiri, 1990). Death Ivan died on 13 February 1988 at the age of 66 (Dharmasiri, 1990). Paintings Ivan's paintings were extensively exhibited in Europe and reviewed by eminent art critics such as John Be…