Ernest Lindner was a lieutenant in the Joint Austrian Air-force from 1915 to 1918. He later worked as a bank clerk and in his family's walking stick firm.

 

Upon immigrating to Canada in 1926, Lindner attended night classes at the University of Saskatchewan under Augustus Kenderdine. In 1931 Lindner started teaching night classes at the Saskatoon Technical Collegiate. He eventually became a full-time instructor there, and later took on the role as Head of the Art Department; he taught at the Collegiate until 1962.

 

Ernest Lindner was extremely active in the local, provincial and national arts communities. In Saskatoon, he originated "Saturday Nights"—a weekly discussion group held in the private homes of local members of the arts community. He was a member and President of the Saskatoon Art Association, one of the first members on the Saskatchewan Arts Board, and a member of the "Prospectors", the first professional society of artists in Saskatchewan. It was through the influence of Lindner and Kenderdine that the University of Saskatchewan started the renowned annual Emma Lake Artists' Workshops in 1955.

 

Upon retirement, Lindner worked as a full time artist until his death in 1988. Today he is best known for his watercolours and engravings. His works have shown throughout Canada, and internationally at Canada House Gallery, in London, England, and at Canadian Cultural centres in Paris and Brussels. Among the many awards Lindner received throughout his lifetime, were an Honorary Doctor of Law Degree from the University of Saskatchewan (1972), membership in the Order of Canada (1979), and a Life Time Award for Excellence in the Arts from the Saskatchewan Arts Board (1988).