art + objets d'arts + photography

Ben Walmsley, ‘Women of The Prehistoric Planet’, 1980’s, Acrylic on Canvas, 56 x 76 inches. Artwork is without wood stretchers, and can be shipped by tube. Cost of new stretchers is minimal. Signed upper left on painting. Private Collection.

**Notice two nude female figures ‘lounging’ across the canvas in flesh tones, amongst the zebra stripes. 

** This painting was possibly the first artwork acquired in the very early 80’s in my first apartment, and was used as a backdrop many times for numerous insane photoshoots / see photos included.

Asking $1500.

NOW $800

Ben Walmsley (b. 1960) is an artist based in Toronto, Canada. Over the course of his career, he has exhibited in galleries and museums across Canada, and has been represented by some of the most respected commercial galleries in Toronto.

His paintings are in numerous public, corporate and private collections in Canada and abroad. In his work, he has brought an “understated wit and technical precision” to a broad range of subject matter, in an ongoing exploration of the role of colour in representational painting.

Ben Walmsley is represented by Birch Contemporary in Toronto. 

BEN WALMSLEY

Education:

Graduate of the Art and Art History programme, a course of study taken at the University of Toronto and Sheridan College jointly.

University of Toronto, Art History Department: B.A., 1979-83
Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario: Fine Arts Diploma, 1979-83

Solo Exhibitions:

2023 Birch Contemporary, Toronto, Ontario: COLOUR CHARTS

2020 Birch Contemporary, Toronto, Ontario: POLYCHROME

2018 Birch Contemporary, Toronto, Ontario: Burnt Orange Night
2015 Birch Contemporary, Toronto, Ontario: The Ones to Bear It Forward
2010 Birch-Libralato, Toronto, Ontario: The Next Ones
2008 Gallery at 129 Ossington, Toronto, Ontario: The Ones Here Now
2001 Pari Nadimi Gallery, Toronto, Ontario: Flyer
1999 Pari Nadimi Gallery, Toronto, Ontario: Colour Catalogue
1998 Blizzmax Gallery, South Bay, Ontario.
1997 Garnet Press Gallery, Toronto, Ontario: STILL
1995 Garnet Press Gallery, Toronto: Poems for Lost Children
1993 Garnet Press Gallery, Toronto: Ten Stanzas: 360 Degrees
1993 Art Gallery of St. Thomas and Elgin, St. Thomas; Collingwood Library and Gallery, Collingwood ; Cambridge Art Gallery, Cambridge, Ontario: Gospelling the Sound of Colour
1992 Centennial Gallery, Oakville, Ontario: Gospelling the Sound of Colour
1991 Burnaby Art Gallery, Burnaby, B.C.
1991 Garnet Press Gallery, Toronto: White
1989 Garnet Press Gallery, Toronto: Colour Atlas of Anatomy: A Forsaken Garden
1988 Garnet Press Gallery, Toronto: Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Blue. Purple
1986 Gallery 76, Toronto: Light Tamed, or, The Varnish Prism
1985 Garnet Press Gallery, Toronto.
1983 Yarlow / Salzman Gallery, Toronto.

Group Exhibitions:

2020 Birch Contemporary, Toronto: The Big Pictures / Small Wonders
2019 Birch Contemporary, Toronto: 1989-2019
2012 Oakville Galleries, Oakville: An Unregarded Art, curated by Marnie Fleming.
2011 Harbourfront Centre, Toronto. Likeness, curated by Patrick Macaulay
2008 Birch-Libralato, Toronto. Essential Works III
2007 Art Gallery of Mississauga, Ontario: AAHlumniex
2003 Parc Downsview Park, Toronto: Tree City. An exhibition of artist’s conceptions for Downsview Park in collaboration with Bruce Mau Design
2001 University of Waterloo Art Gallery, Waterloo, Ontario; Burlington Art Centre, Burlington, Ontario: Compulsion. Two-person show with Kelly Mark, curated by Carol Podedworny
1999 Galerie Rene Blouin, Montreal, Quebec: Les peintures.
1997 REPUBLIC, Toronto: Mall Proteus.
1996 Centennial Gallery, Oakville, Ontario: Reading and Re-reading.
1996 Garnet Press Gallery, Toronto: Snow.
1995 Macdonald Stewart Gallery, Guelph, Ontario.
1994 The Power Plant, Toronto: The Cabinet Project.
1993 Artcite, Windsor, Ontario: August and Portrait Oval. Two-person show with John Armstrong, curated by Colette Laliberte
1993 REPUBLIC, Toronto: SNAFU Treasure Skin
1991 London Regional Art and Historical Museums, London, Ontario; Direction des Loisirs et de la culture, Ville de Gatineau, Quebec; Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia;
Laurentian University Museum and Art Centre, Sudbury: Young Contemporaries
1990 Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredricton, N.B.; Mississauga Civic Centre Gallery, Mississauga, Ontario: Young Contemporaries
1988 Grunt Gallery, Vancouver, B.C.: Queen Street Off Main
1988 YYZ, Toronto: Walls on Fire
1987 Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario: The Nostalgia for a Métier
1986 Or Gallery, Vancouver, B.C.: 25 Young Artists
1986 Metro Central Library, Toronto: Three Profiles
1985 REPUBLIC, Studio 620, Toronto: The Power of the Cross
1985 Vox Pop Cabaret, Toronto: Local Motions
1985 Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Expressionisme Ontario
1984 Centre des Artes Contemporaines, Montreal, Quebec: Expressionisme Ontario
1984 Studio 620, Toronto: New City of Sculpture
1983 Colonnade, Toronto: Chromazone’s Chromaliving
1983 Yarlow / Salzman Gallery, Toronto.

Press and Magazines:

Armstrong, John. “Spirit of Modernity: Recent Paintings of Ben Walmsley.” C Magazine, no. 55, September – November 1997, pp. 20-23, illustrated, cover.
Balzer, David. “The Ones Here Now.” Eye Weekly, 26 June 2008, illustrated.
Breslin, Lauren S. “Culture, commerce, consumption, compulsion.” Imprint (Waterloo), 9 March 2001.
Charron, Marie-Eve. “La peinture dans tous les etats!” La Presse (Montreal), 24 July 1999.
Clark, Bill. Ed. “Toronto: Waiting & Watching.” Magenta Magazine Online, Spring 2010, vol. 1, no.3.
Clark, Janet. “Nostalgia for a Metier is a progressive exhibition.” The Chronicle-Journal 13 October 1987.
Dault, Gary Michael. “Father Goose.” Canadian Art, Fall 2009, pp. 76-77, illustrated.
Dault, Gary Michael. “Ben Walmsley at Gallery at 129 Ossington.” The Globe and Mail, 21 June 2008.
Davis, Todd A. “Queen Street Off Main.” Artery, February 1988.
Erskine, Barrie. “Bottled art.” The Burlington Post, 19 January 2001, photograph.
Fralick, Rick. “Message in a bottle.” The Picton Gazette, Summer 1998, photograph.
Genereux, Linda. “Renderings of Human form.” Metropolis, 16 November 1989, illustrated.
Godley, Elizabeth. “Just a taste of Toronto’s cutting edge.” Vancouver Sun, 23 January 1988, illustrated.
Grenville, Bruce. “The REPUBLIC.” Parachute, September, October, November 1985, vol. 40, pp. 38-39.
Holubizky, Ihor. “The Young Contemporaries.” Canadian Art, Spring 1991,vol. 8, no. 1, p. 26, illustrated.
Hujer, Elaine. “Compelling art on compulsion.” The Hamilton Spectator, 26 January 2001,
Hume, Christopher. “Chromaliving show shows art as lifestyle.” Toronto Star, 22 October 1983.
Hume, Christopher. “Symbol of cross emerges in new art.” Toronto Star, 1 February 1985.
Lypchuk, Donna. “Smart Brunettes.” C Magazine, Spring, 1986, no. 9, pp. 50-52, illustrated.
Lypchuk, Donna. “New values: ‘Post-Op Art’.” Metropolis, 26 May 1988, illustrated.
Mackay, Gillian. “Ben Walmsley at Garnet Press.” The Globe and Mail, 31 May 1997.
Mackay, Gillian. “Juicy paintings embrace artifice.” The Globe and Mail, 24 April 1999, illustrated.
Mays, John Bentley. “Art and academe beget odd results.” The Globe and Mail, 22 March 1982, ill.
Mays, John Bentley. “Chromaliving proves traditions are dead.” The Globe and Mail, 22 October 1983.
Mays, John Bentley. “The cross evokes captivating collection.” The Globe and Mail, 31 January 1985.
Mays, John Bentley. “Ben Walmsley: Colour Atlas of Anatomy.” The Globe and Mail, 17 Nov. 1989.
McFadden, David. “The Power of the Cross.” Vanguard, April 1985, illustrated.
Niedzviecki, Hal. “Pop: Product: Person.” Adbusters, Spring, 1998, No. 21, pp. 20-30, illustrated.
Perdue, Jane. “Horror Vacui.” NOW Magazine, 11-17 February 1988.
Podedworny, Carol. “Compulsion exhibition in UW galleries.” UW Gazette, 7 March 2001, illustrated.
Reid, Robert. “Compulsion: Art that’s easy to swallow.” The Record, 6 March 2001, illustrated.
Sheehan, Nick. “Levelling the monuments.” NOW Magazine, 23-29 August 1984, cover.
Taylor, Kate. “Isolated setting accentuates drawings’ impact.” The Globe and Mail, 5 June 1992.
Taylor, Kate. “Using Colour to Conjure Emotion.” The Globe and Mail, 15 June 1993.
Walmsley, Ben. Artist’s Project, “LE CRUX.” C Magazine, No. 7, 1985.
Walmsley, Ben. Artist’s Project, “Serious Bruises.” Impulse Magazine, Fall, 1988.
Webb, Marshall. “A Journey around the New City of Sculpture.” Canadian Art Magazine,
Winter/December 1985, vol. 2, no. 1, illustrated.
Werner Hans. Canadian Art Magazine, Fall/ September 1988, vol. 5, no. 4, illustrated.
Wylie, Liz. “Walmsley’s rigorous analysis of ethereal world.” NOW Magazine, 12-18 May 1988, ill.

Catalogues and Brochures:

An Unregarded Art: Stylized nature from the collection. Essay by Marnie Fleming, curator. Oakville Galleries, publisher. 2012.
Likeness. Preface by Patrick Macaulay, curator. Harbourfront Centre, publisher. 2011.
Reading and Re-reading: Selections from the permanent collection. Essay by Karen R. White, curator. Oakville Galleries, publisher. 1996.
Decalog. Barbara Fischer, author. YYZ Books, publisher. 1992.
Gospelling the Sound of Colour. Text by Carolyn Bell Farrell. Oakville Galleries, publisher. 1992.
Young Contemporaries: Views on nature, views of nature. Text by Peter Day, curator. London Regional Art and Historical Museums, publisher. 1990.
25 Young Artists. Preface by Petra Rigby Watson. The Or gallery Society, publisher. 1986.
EXPRON-EXPRessionisme ONtario. Text by Leo Rosshandler. Lavalin, publisher 1984.
New City of Sculpture. Essay by Bruce Grenville. C Magazine No. 3. 1984
Chromaliving. Essays by Andy Fabo and Jennifer Oille. Chromazone, publisher. 1983
Artventure. Text by Linda Belshaw Beatty. Royal Bank of Canada, publisher. 1983.