Mike Lynch was born in Hibbing, Minnesota in 1938. Lynch studied painting and drawing with Birney Quick at the Grand Marais Art Colony, attended the Minneapolis School of Art (now MCAD) and also studied at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. A disciplined draftsman known for working in the lonely stillness of night, he exhibited throughout Minnesota, including a solo exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. He was awarded McKnight Foundation Fellowships in 1983, 1987 and 1996, received a Bush Foundation Fellowship in 1985 and the Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship in 1991. Lynch passed away on September 8, 2023. Mike was an incredibly talented artist whose work influenced many and shaped Groveland Gallery since its early days. He received much acclaim for his work throughout his 70-year career but always distanced himself from the attention.
In 2002 Lynch completed a commission for the Minnesota Percent for Art in Public Places. The 10-foot by 18-foot painting View of Saint Paul from Indian Mounds Park is located in the Department of Revenue Building. In 2003, Lynch was awarded the McKnight Foundation’s Distinguished Artist Award.
Selected Collections:
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Walker Art Center, Minnesota Museum of American Art, Minnesota Historical Society, MCAD, Rochester Art Center, Tweed Museum, 3M Company, Piper Jaffray and Hopwood, Chemical Bank of New York, Honeywell Corp., Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, US Bank, American National Bank, Travelers Express, Marquette Bank, FMC Corp., Wells Fargo Bank, General Mills, Faegre and Benson, Minnesota Life, St. Paul Companies, Hospital Corp. of America, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Revenue