Ivor Rhys Lewis was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 artist and business director.

Lewis was born in Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

, but emigrated to Canada as a small boy. He trained as an artist at the Ontario School of Art, and was hired in the art department of the Eaton's

Eaton's

The T. Eaton Co. Limited was once Canada's largest department store retailer. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an Irish immigrant. Eaton's grew to become a retail and social institution in Canada, with stores across the country, buying offices across the globe, and a catalogue...

 department store chain in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

. In 1919, he was commissioned by his fellow Eaton's employees to create the noted life-size statue of Timothy Eaton

Timothy Eaton statue

There are two castings of the well-known statue of Timothy Eaton, the famous Canadian retailer: one in Toronto, Ontario, the other in Winnipeg, Manitoba.-History:...

, which was presented to the Eaton family

Eaton family

The Eaton family of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, were owners of the Eaton's department stores, a national chain that was founded in 1869, and became bankrupt in 1999. At the family's height, their net worth was around $2 billion...

 in honour of the store's 50th anniversary.
Lewis was an accomplished painter, and he was also known for creating the medallions on the Dr. William D. Young Memorial

Dr. William D. Young Memorial

The Dr. William D. Young Memorial is a drinking fountain and memorial that was erected on the eastern border of Kew Gardens in Toronto, Canada in August 1920 by residents of the Beaches neighbourhood.The memorial was dedicated to Dr. William D...

 in Toronto's Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens (Toronto)

Kew Gardens is a large park in The Beaches neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada. The park stretches from Queen Street East to the lakeshore at Kew Beach....

. Along with C.W. Jefferys

Charles William Jefferys

Charles William Jefferys was a Canadian painter, illustrator, author, and teacher best known as a historical illustrator.-Biography:...

and other artists, Lewis co-founded the Graphic Arts Club (later named the Canadian Society of Graphic Art), which by the 1940s became the primary artists' group in Canada. He was also a noted actor and singer, and actively participated in Toronto's theatre scene.

Ivor Lewis was a prominent member of the Eaton's management team, serving as both Supervisor of Publicity and Public Relations and Staff Superintendent. He held the latter position until 1950. He was made a director of the T. Eaton Co. Limited in 1942. Ivor Lewis died in 1958.