“The driving force behind my paintings is curiosity.  The more I discover through the process of painting the more that remains to be discovered.  By revealing and hiding, bringing to light and destroying, I want to give my subjects an existential dimension that is open to interpretation.”

Ilona Biernot graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow, Poland, with an MFA. During her numerous visits to Italy Ilona became fascinated with the Old Masters whose work she studied in depth. They had a huge influence on her approach to art. It was in Italy that she began to focus on portrait painting, and fine-tuned her skill to such an extent that her portraits became studies of character. 

Ilona Biernot's portraits reveal the essence of their sitters’, who would shed their guarded exteriors, whether they were celebrities, or simply lovers of art. Her artistic quest continues in a series of paintings, which blur the boundary between the past and present. 

Her work deals with themes taken from life and myth, topics that have engrossed artists throughout the ages. Through the use of modem symbols and motifs, she poses questions for which every individual has a personal answer. 

Ilona Biernot breathes life into two-dimensional floral compositions. She is fascinated by orchids and seeks to capture their beauty and delicate form in her paintings.

Ilona’s work can be found in private collections in Europe and North America.

EXHIBITIONS

2015 CACC Art Project: Urban.Art.Condo, Casa Art Gallery, Toronto, ON

2013 The Circle of Art: Portraits of Famous Canadians, Arta Gallery, Toronto, ON

2008 Objects are Closer than they Appear, Jacob Gallery, Toronto, ON

2003 One Man Show - Brush Gallery, Toronto, ON

1998 One Man Show - Galileo Gallery, Toronto, ON 

1996 13th Annual Portrait Show - Francesca Anderson Boston, MA

1995 One Man Show – Gallery Seven, Toronto, ON 

1994 Poetry on canvas - Bistro 990, Toronto, ON 

1993 One Man Show - Gallery 306, Toronto, ON 

1992 Wet Paint - Art & Exhibition, Charles Street Studio, Toronto, ON

1992 Canadian Art by Polish Artist - City Hall, Toronto, ON 

1991 One Man Show - Gallery Pekao, Toronto, ON 

1989 Individual Show - Palazzo Frontini, Ancona, Italy