Edward Burtynsky is among the most heavily exhibited Canadian artists. For two decades, a typical year has included multiple international solo exhibitions. His bibliography is also unusually extensive, partially because he maintains—in association with art book publisher Steidl—his own publishing program for most new bodies of work. This activity supplements the publications produced by his institutional exhibitors. In addition, Burtynsky’s collaboration with Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier has resulted in three feature films: Manufactured Landscapes, 2006, Watermark, 2013, and Anthropocene: The Human Epoch, 2018. Burtynsky’s commercial representatives are numerous in North America, Europe, and Asia. In Canada he has been represented for many years by the Nicholas Metivier Gallery in Toronto.
Cover of African Studies, 2023, by Edward Burtynsky.
Cover of Anthropocene, 2018, by Edward Burtynsky.
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1988
Breaking Ground, produced by the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Ottawa. Touring exhibition.
2000
Edward Burtynsky Photographs, McMaster Museum of Art, Hamilton.
Visions and Views: The Architecture of Borromini in the Photographs of Edward Burtynsky, Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal.
2003
Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Touring exhibition.
2004
Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto. Touring exhibition.
2005
Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky, Brooklyn Museum, New York. Touring exhibition.
Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky, Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego. Touring exhibition.
Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky, Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Art, Stanford University, Stanford. Touring exhibition.
2006
Edward Burtynsky: China, FotoFo, Palace of Art, Bratislava, Slovakia.
Edward Burtynsky: The Edmonton Art Gallery Gift, Edmonton Art Gallery.
PHotoESPAÑA 2006: NATURALEZA, Centro Cultural de la Villa, Madrid.
2007
Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky, Gemeentemuseum Helmond, Helmond, Netherlands. Touring exhibition.
China Works, Koldo Mitxelena Kulturunea, San Sebastián, Spain.
Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky, Canadian Cultural Centre, Paris. Touring exhibition.
Edward Burtynsky: The China Series, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Touring exhibition.
2008
Australian Minescapes, Western Australian Maritime Museum, Fremantle. Touring exhibition.
In Pursuit of Progress, Winnipeg Art Gallery.
2009
Australian Minescapes, Museum of Geraldton, Geraldton, Australia. Touring exhibition.
Edward Burtynsky: Oil, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Touring exhibition.
Australian Minescapes, Australian Centre for Photography, Melbourne.
Edward Burtynsky: A Survey, Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Banff.
2010
Edward Burtynsky: Oil, Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton. Touring exhibition.
Edward Burtynsky: Oil, The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery, St. John’s. Touring exhibition.
Australian Minescapes, Sovereign Hill Gold Museum, Ballarat, Australia. Touring exhibition.
2011
Edward Burtynsky: The Industrial Sublime, Mary Elisabeth Dee Shaw Gallery, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah. Touring exhibition.
Burtynsky: Oil, Ryerson University in association with the Institute for Contemporary Culture, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.
Edward Burtynsky: L’uomo e la terra. Luci e ombre, Centro Culturale di Milano, Milan.
2012
Edward Burtynsky, Hall Art Foundation, Reading, Vermont.
Edward Burtynsky: Oil, Taubman Museum, Roanoke, Virginia. Touring exhibition.
Edward Burtynsky: Oil, The Photographer’s Gallery, London, UK. Touring exhibition.
Edward Burtynsky: Oil, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno. Touring exhibition.
Edward Burtynsky: The Industrial Sublime, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville.
2013
Edward Burtynsky: Water, New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) / Contemporary Art Center (CAC), New Orleans. Touring exhibition.
Edward Burtynsky: The Landscape That We Change, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinberg, Ontario.
Edward Burtynsky: Oil, Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa. Touring exhibition.
2014
Water! Neue Fotografien von Edward Burtynsky (Edward Burtynsky: Water), Museum Sinclair–Haus, Altana Kulturstiftung, Bad Homburg, Germany. Touring exhibition.
A Terrible Beauty: Edward Burtynsky, Vancouver Art Gallery.
2015
Edward Burtynsky: Acqua Shock, Expo Milano, Palazzo Ragione, Milan.
2016
Edward Burtynsky: Aqua Shock – Selections from the Water Project, Borusan Contemporary, Istanbul.
Edward Burtynsky: Water, Phoenix Art Museum. Touring exhibition.
CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES: Looking at the Future of the Planet, Fotofest Biennial 2016, Edward Burtynsky exhibition featured at The Silos at Sawyer Yards, Houston.
2017
Edward Burtynsky: Water, KunstHausWien, Vienna. Touring exhibition.
1946
June 5–August, Twenty-Ninth Annual Exhibition by Members of the Club (Canadian Section), Philadelphia Water Colour Club, Philadelphia.
2018
Witness: Edward Burtynsky, Art Gallery of Hamilton.
Edward Burtynsky: Man and Earth. Lights and Shadows, Preus Museum, Horten, Norway.
2019
Manufactured Landscapes: A Selection of Early Works, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto.
Water: Edward Burtynsky, The Cleveland Museum of Art.
Edward Burtynsky: Megaresources, Philadelphia Contemporary, Atelier FAS Gallery, Philadelphia.
2020
Edward Burtynsky – Mounds and Voids: From Human to Global Scale, Centre Cultural Canadien, Paris.
Edward Burtynsky: Natural Order, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto.
Building Your AGA with Photographs by Edward Burtynsky, Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton.
2021
Edward Burtynsky: Troubled Waters, Pavillon Populaire, Montpellier.
No Small Terror: Edward Burtynsky, Museum London, Ontario.
2022
Edward Burtynsky: Xylella Studies, Pino Pascali Foundation Museum of Contemporary Art, Polignano a Mare, Italy.
Edward Burtynsky: Earth Observed, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut.
Edward Burtynsky – Mounds and Voids: From Human to Global Scale, Musée de Dieppe, Dieppe, France.
In the Wake of Progress, outdoor public world premiere at Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto. Commissioned and co-produced by Luminato Festival, Toronto.
Sony World Photography Awards 2022 Exhibition, Somerset House, London, UK.
2023
Abstraction and the Altered Landscape, Fotografiska Shanghai, Jing’an District, Shanghai.
Edward Burtynsky: Le paysage abstrait, Arsenal Contemporary Art, Montreal.
Edward Burtynsky: Present, Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton.
2024
Edward Burtysnky: African Studies, Chaumont-Photo-sur-Loire, Domaine de Chaumont-Sur-Loire, France.
A Broken Planet, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Kitchener.
Edward Burtynsky: A Visual Archaeology, Tides Institute & Museum of Art, Eastport, Maine.
Edward Burtynsky: Extraction/Abstraction, Saatchi Gallery, London, UK. Touring exhibition.
Edward Burtynsky: Water, Cultuurcentrum Knokke-Heist, Knokke-Heist, Belgium. Touring exhibition.
Edward Burtynsky: Extraction, PHOTO Australia 2024, Museum of Australian Photography, Wheelers Hill, Victoria.
Gaia and Humans. Photographs by Edward Burtynsky, Palazzo Arese Borromeo, Cesano Maderno, Italy.
Edward Burtynsky: Extraction/Abstraction, M9 – Museum of the 20th Century, Mestre, Italy. Touring exhibition.
2025
Edward Burtynsky: The Great Acceleration, International Center of Photography, New York.
The Coast Mountains: Recent Works by Edward Burtynsky, Audain Art Museum, Whistler.
Edward Burtynsky: Water, Minnesota Marine Art Museum, Winona. Touring exhibition.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore
Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn
Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Ottawa
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
MAST Foundation, Bologna, Italy
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal
Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego
National Archives of Canada, Ottawa
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Tate Modern, London, England
Thessaloniki Museum of Art, Thessaloniki, Greece
Thrivent Art Collection, Minneapolis
Toronto Metropolitan University/The Image Centre, Toronto
Vancouver Art Gallery
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
HONOURS & AWARDS
2003
Roloff Beny Photography Book Award, Toronto
Photographic Book Award, Applied Arts Magazine, Toronto
Governor General of Canada Delegate – Circumpolar State Visit to Finland and Iceland
Academician’s Honours, Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, Ottawa
Photojournalism Silver Award, National Magazine Awards Foundation, Toronto
2004
The Rencontres d’Arles Outreach Award, Arles, France
2005
TED Prize (inaugural), Monterey, California
2006
Officer of the Order of Canada
Rogers Best Documentary Film Award for Manufactured Landscapes, directed by Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky, Toronto Film Critics Association
Flying Elephants Foundation Fellowship, New York
2007
Honorary Doctorate of Laws, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario
Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts in Photography Study, Ryerson University, Toronto
Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, Montserrat College of Art, Boston
2008
Planet in Focus Media/Industry Eco-Hero Award, Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival, Toronto
Prix Pictet, London, UK, Nomination and Short Listed
Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize, Nomination, London, UK
Ideas for Life Award, Canadian Environment Awards, Government of Canada, Ottawa
Achievement Award, Toronto Friends of the Visual Arts, Toronto
ICP Infinity Award, Art category, International Center of Photography, New York
Deutscher Fotobuchpreis (German Photobook Award), for Burtynsky: Quarries, Stuttgart, Germany
2009
Prix Pictet, London, UK, Nomination and Short Listed
2010
Kraszna-Krausz Book Award, for Burtynsky: Oil, The Kraszna-Krausz Foundation, London, UK
2011
Gold Prize for Conceptual Photography, National Magazine Awards, Toronto
MOCCA Award in Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto
Honorary Doctorate of Laws, Mt. Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick
Deutscher Fotobuchpreis (German Photobook Award) – Silver Award, for Burtynsky: Oil, Stuttgart, Germany
2012
Tiffany Mark Award, Tiffany & Co., Toronto, honouring individuals who, through their professional or philanthropic endeavours, make a difference to their community
2013
Honorary Doctoral Degree, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont
Honorary Doctoral Degree, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
2014
Rogers Best Canadian Film Award, Best Feature Length Documentary for Watermark directed by Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky, Toronto Film Critics Association, Toronto
2016
Lifetime Achievement in the Arts, St. Catharines Arts Awards, St. Catharines, Ontario
Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts, Canada Council for the Arts, Ottawa
2017
Insight + Impact Award, Garrison Institute, Garrison, New York
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, University of Toronto
2018
Master of Photography, Photo London, London, UK
Peace Patron, Mosaic Institute, Toronto
Honorary Degree, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario
2019
Gold Medal of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society for outstanding achievements in the arts and their applications to expanding the knowledge of Canadian and world geography, Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Ottawa
Achievement in Documentary, The Lucie Awards, Lucie Foundation, New York
Arts & Letters Award, Maple Leaf Ball, Canadian Association of New York, New York
2020
Honorary Fellowship, The Royal Photographic Society, London, UK
2021
Honorary Artistic Award, International Peace Festival, Toronto
Pollution Probe Award, Pollution Probe, Toronto
Induction into the International Photography Hall of Fame, St. Louis
Outstanding Contribution to Photography, Sony World Photography Awards, London, UK
2023
XXV Edition of the Pino Pascali Prize, Pino Pascali Foundation, Polignano a Mare, Italy
PHotoESPAÑA Award for Professional Career, PHotoESPAÑA, Madrid
ONLINE RESOURCES
The artist maintains a regularly updated website that is rich in resources, including video interviews listed there under “News,” as well as on the artist’s YouTube channel: www.edwardburtynsky.com.