Name/Title
Portrait of Union Club President, Grace Van den Brink (2019-2021)Entry/Object ID
2026.04.02Description
Painting
This portrait, commissioned by the Union Club of B.C., depicts Grace Van den Brink (1956-2026), the 72nd and first woman president (2019 to 2021) who aimed "to honour the Club's past, build on the present and embrace the future", and was active in creating a path for future women's leadership in the Club. Van den Brink guided the Club through the difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic, a public health emergency of international impact with many challenges and she believes that crisis does not build character, it reveals character.
Of note, the pandemic was among the deadliest infectious diseases to have emerged in recent times, and it caused severe social and economic disruption around the world, including the largest global recession since the Great Depression (1929-1939).
Born in Victoria, Van den Brink held a B.A. (University of Victoria) and also took many professional courses in local government administration. She had more than 30 years of experience in communications, marketing and public relations in both Victoria and Vancouver. She successfully worked with a broad range of clients in both the private and public sector before joining the Public Affairs Bureau (B.C. government) and then served in local government First Nations relations until her retirement from the public service. Over the years, Grace also supported youth and education in many ways, volunteering for community and fundraising endeavours, including running events and the YMCA/YWCA of Greater Victoria. She served as chair of the Camosun College Foundation Board, as well as on the Greater Victoria Advisory Board for the Salvation Army.
This full-length right-side view shows a woman of substance in a long bright blue dress standing at the head of the Club's main staircase in rather striking juxtaposition against the darker-toned 1913 Portrait of John Andrew Mara (1840-1920), President of the Club from 1909 to 1913. This pre-World War I period was marked by industrial and technological advancements, accelerating arms races and global geopolitical instability that set the stage for the Great War (1914-1918) that was followed by the deadly influenza pandemic of 1918-1919.
The Club's McKenzie Lounge was renamed by the General Committee to honour Van den Brink. And to celebrate the unveiling of this commissioned portrait, the Club hosted a portrait viewing on May 21, 2026. See the "Past Presidential Archive" on the Club's website.Type of Painting
EaselContext
Created some 112 years after President Mara's 1913 portrait, this portrait of the first woman Union Club President Grace Van den Brink represents over a century of great societal, technological and economic change, and of course many other pivotal advancements including women's rights as well as human rights more generally. Both these paintings can be considered representative of their respective eras, periods of different expressions of growth, challenge, upheaval and opportunity.
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Founded in 1879, The Union Club of British Columbia is a landmark institution in the heart of downtown Victoria., B.C., considered the foremost business, social and cultural club in the city. This Union Club building on Gordon Street at Humboldt was recognized as nationally significant in 1995 by the joint federal, provincial and territorial administered registry, Canada’s Historic Places. And in 2017, The Union Club of British Columbia was declared a National Historic Site by the Government of Canada. This Union Club building, the club's third venue completed in 1913, earned the prestigious status for its important early history and outstanding architecture of Beaux-Arts Italian Renaissance Revival Style.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
David GoatleyRole
PainterDate made
2025Time Period
21st CenturyNotes
ARTIST STATEMENT
We may not all make history, but each of us makes his story or her story, your story, my story and ultimately - our story - the ongoing story of humanity.
We all matter to those we love and who love us. Within the circle of family, friends, work and career we each make a unique contribution and no one who connects with us is untouched by that connection. We all make a difference. Each of us matters and we all have a story that deserves to told. So much of that story is in our faces, to be read now and down the generation to come.
This is what portraits seek to capture and that is why I paint them.
BIOGRAPHY
Born in London, England, David Goatley, SFCA, PSS, OPA is a Canadian painter widely recognized as one of North America’s leading portrait painters. He trained at the Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London, under various tutors such as Trevor Jones, Gary Wrag, Ewan Uglow (1932–2000) and Patrick Herron (1920–1999) before beginning a 16-year career in advertising. He started out as an illustrator, became a designer, then a copywriter and later a partner in a small London agency. He then returned to portraiture and painted with his mentor, the noted UK portraitist, John Jonas. Goatley began painting full-time in 1990. He emigrated to Canada in 1992 settling in Victoria, B.C.
Goatley is a signature member of both the Federation of Canadian Artists and the Portrait Society of America. He has completed over 440 portrait commissions to date across Canada, the U.S., the U.K., India, Africa and Israel. His subjects have included their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Maharaja of Jaipur, the Emir of Bauchi, the Hon. Lord Lang, a Prime Minister and a Speaker for the House of Commons, three of Canada’s Premiers and six Lieutenant Governors, Supreme and Appellate court justices, a bishop, and leaders in academia, business, law, medicine and the arts, as well as many individuals and families. He has also painted Chiefs and Elders for Canada’s First Nations. His many exhibitions as well as solo and group shows tell visual stories about the people and places he has visited on his travels in North America, Europe, India, and the Middle East. His portrait and non-portrait work is found in collections around the world.Acquisition
Acquisition Method
Commissioned by Union ClubDate
2025Copyright
Notes
Images are provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these images must be obtained from the copyright holder. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to determine the copyright holder and to obtain permission(s) as needed.
