People
Peter Lovisek, Founder and Gallery Director
Peter Lovisek is a natural history specialist, consultant, and entrepreneur with over two decades of industry experience. He was introduced to the fossil and mineral trade as a youth and founded Fossil Realm at the age of 17. Now a well-known advisor and broker, he regularly assists with the development of prestigious private collections across the globe and has placed a number of fossil specimens in renowned institutions, including the CosmoCaixa science museum in Barcelona, Spain, the Museo delle Culture (MUSEC) in Lugano, Switzerland, and The University of Waterloo Earth Sciences Museum in Ontario, Canada.
Peter's journey into the natural world began with family trips to collect fossils and prospect for minerals, forming some of his fondest childhood memories. In recent years, he has been fortunate enough to dig fossils at celebrated sites, including the Green River Formation in southwestern Wyoming. Fossil Realm now acts as a platform to share his passion for natural science with a wide audience.
Peter's diverse interests inform his approach to acquisitions. Having formally studied anthropology and cognitive science, he is drawn to a broad range of fields, including evolutionary biology, cosmology, and Eastern philosophy. By viewing objects through multiple lenses, he better appreciates their scientific, historical, and cultural significance. Additionally, Peter considers a specimen's beauty and presence to be highly important, anchored by his appreciation of the visual arts. This perspective ensures that the Fossil Realm Collection is home to compelling pieces imbued with meaning.
A longtime advocate of hands-on earth science education, Peter has donated hundreds of high-quality fossils to elementary schools across North America and organizations such as the Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve. His contributions aim to inspire and educate the next generation about the wonders of natural history.
In addition to his commercial paleontology and meteoritics work, Peter is an active participant in Ontario's museum and academic community, serving as a patron of the Royal Ontario Museum and the Canadian Museum of Nature.
Peter is also partnered with Konvi, a platform that highlights the investment potential of natural history specimens. This collaboration underscores his commitment to bridging the gap between the natural sciences and financial investment, demonstrating the economic value of these ancient treasures. Through Konvi, Peter has been able to reach a wider audience, promoting the idea of fossils and meteorites as prudent investments and expanding the appreciation for these historical artifacts.
Born in Toronto, Peter resides in Ottawa with his lovely wife, Hélène, and their two young sons, Jerome and Bernard. His diverse interests and extensive experience position him as a leading figure in the natural history industry, dedicated to both the scientific and economic appreciation of fossils, minerals and meteorites. An avid long distance runner, he has competed in over 10 marathons.
Professional Memberships
AAPS - Association of Applied Paleontological Sciences
IMCA - International Meteorite Collectors Association (Member No. 4875)
Jim Lovisek, Scientific Advisor
Jim's role as scientific advisor and business mentor was indispensable in the early years of Fossil Realm. His enthusiasm for the natural sciences was singular and his eagerness to converse about animals (alive or extinct) was memorable.
Jim's professional life was coloured by a fascination for the natural world and an adventurous entrepreneurial spirit. In addition to a decades-long involvement in commercial paleontology, he worked as a research scientist (zoologist), educator, nature camp director, and animal wrangler in the entertainment industry. After graduating from university in the mid-1970's, Jim spent several years in the Amazon jungle exploring the region's incredible wildlife. In Colombia, his scientific fieldwork concerned the endangered Amazonian manatee. Later, he studied the yacare caiman, a crocodilian living in the lowlands of Bolivia and neighbouring countries. Upon his return from South America, Jim was hired as a research associate at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Thereafter, he was involved in many more significant projects, including an archaeological dig in Belize wherein he analyzed faunal remains.
Educating the public was a high priority for Jim. For 16 years he co-directed the Toronto Nature Centre Summer Camp with his wife, Liz Komisar. During this period he also presented hundreds of hands-on wildlife programs across Canada.
Photo Credit: Nick Iwanyshyn / York Region Media Group
Liz Komisar, Acquisitions Advisor
Liz brings a wealth of practical experience to the development and marketing of the collections. After graduating from The University of Toronto, she headed Media Relations at The Royal Ontario Museum where she promoted displays, behind-the-scenes museum collections and significant research. She mounted hundreds of tropical insects and designed their display for The Ontario Science Centre’s Jungles Alive Show. One of the notable communications projects undertaken by Liz entailed interviewing and editing of a five hour documentary series for the CBC Radio program “Ideas”. The documentary presented the pros and cons of nuclear energy. Liz co-founded The Toronto Nature Centre Summer Camp with her husband Jim Lovisek. The camp introduced life and earth sciences through hands on workshops, field trips and daily sessions with live animals. During the 16 year run of the camp, Liz created fossil and mineral teaching units for several Boards of Education in Ontario. For several years in the late nineties, she also presented a weekly series of science workshops for the Institute of Child Studies (associated with the University of Toronto).
After the closure of the nature camp, she acquired a Bachelor of Education at The University of Toronto and started teaching full time. Throughout the operation of The Toronto Nature Centre and with the subsequent establishment of Fossil Realm (after Jim’s passing), Liz has enjoyed an active role in the development, marketing and sales of collections. She currently contributes to Fossil Realm operations by advising on acquisitions. In her free time, she enjoys painting and writing.