Muses and Inspirations: The Art of Vladimir and Gösta Iwasiuk — A Father and Son Exhibition

This exhibition spans more than half a century of sculpture, painting, and drawing by physicians Vladimir Iwasiuk (1905-1986) and his son, Gösta Iwasiuk (b. 1943). Vladimir, who retired to Santa Paula in 1975, pursued his artistic practice alongside his medical career, producing over 350 works, primarily paintings, over his lifetime. Gösta started his career as a general physician in Santa Paula in 1973. Most of his artistic output consists of bronze sculptures created since he retired from surgery in 2018.

Iwasiuk (pronounced ee-VAH-syook) is a common Ukrainian surname. Vladimir was born in Eastern Europe in 1905, in a region that is now part of Ukraine. Gösta was born in Austria in 1943, in the midst of World War II. Both men experienced significant upheaval on their journeys to becoming physician-artists. Their artworks often hint at their heritage and history and convey an old-world sensibility. Above all, their work reflects their abiding passion for life. Many pieces portray the people who inspired them most: doctors, musicians, philosophers, and family members.

Gösta wonders whether his skills­—both medical and artistic—stem from a gene passed down from his father, or rather from observation and encouragement. While Vladimir had an inclination toward psychology and a talent for portraiture and landscape painting, Gösta has translated his surgical expertise into sculpture that emphasizes dexterity and the human hand. Whether Vladimir and Gösta’s shared traits are a product of nature or nurture remains open to debate, but the father and son prove one thing: art is its own kind of medicine.

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