Quintus Fernando Photography Viewing

You are cordially invited to a special viewing of an exhibition at Phoenix Art Museum: Legacy of Ceylon: Art and Photography of Sri Lanka. The photography featured in this exhibition is exclusively comprised of images captured in the 1940s–1950s by the late Professor Quintus Fernando.

While an undergraduate student at the University of Ceylon, he took up photography as a hobby. He captured rural life in the newly independent democratic republic of Sri Lanka in a series of hauntingly beautiful photographs, many of which are included in this exhibition.

We hope that everyone who knew Quintus Fernando will attend this very special event, where informal presentations will be made by Dr. Janet Baker, Curator of Asian Art, and Barry Fernando, M.D. from 12:15 to 12:30 p.m. on the terrace. Q uintus Fernando was born in 1926 in a suburb of Colombo, the capital of Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka).

His father was a planter, who owned and managed the family’s tea and rubber plantation. Quintus and his four siblings were educated at a private school, St. Thomas College. Quintus went on to attend the University of Ceylon, where he studied chemistry and explored a variety of hobbies, of which photography and philately were to become life-long interests.

Mist and Rain: A Photographic Journey Through Ceylon

The Photography of Quintus Fernando

A limited number of copies are available for sale in the Phoenix Art Museum Store. All proceeds from the sale of this photographic book will be donated to charity in memory of Quintus Fernando. Cost per person: Discounted admission for those who pre-register by Nov 30

Date: Saturday, December 18, 2021

Time: 12:00–2:00 p.m. Presentation 12:15–12:30 p.m. on the terrace.

Location: Phoenix Art Museum 1625 North Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85004 Map Accessibility Questions: (602) 257-1880 | info@phxart.org

Registration Info: Ellie Warder warder@arizona.edu (520) 621-5903 After completing his BSc. degree in 1949, Quintus went to the United States to pursue graduate studies in chemistry under the aegis of John P. Phillips at the University of Louisville, Kentucky. After completing MS and PhD degrees in analytical chemistry, he returned to Sri Lanka in 1953. Following short stints of teaching at the University of Ceylon and working as a chemist at the government analyst department, he decided to immigrate with his family to the United States.

In 1961 he accepted a faculty position in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Arizona. In 1963 he and Prof. Henry Freiser co-authored Ionic Equilibria in Analytical Chemistry, which was a classic textbook for teaching ionic equilibria for over 15 years. During his tenure at the University of Arizona, he mentored 32 graduate students and co-authored over 200 research publications in diverse areas including: ionic equilibria, X-ray structures of coordination compounds, and determination of toxic metal species in environmental and biological materials.

Quintus retired in 2004 from the University of Arizona after more than 40 years of service. He passed away later that year.