BEN WOOLFITT
BEN WOOLFITT
Born in Saskatchewan in 1946, Woolfitt moved to Toronto in 1965 to study at York University. While exploring the local art scene, Woolfitt learned about Colour Field painting. An introduction to the works of Mark Rothko, Morris Louis, Hans Hofmann and Jules Olitski sparked his interest in non-objective subject matter, and his foray into painting began.
In 1972 he founded the Woolfitt’s School of Contemporary Painting, where he taught until 1979. In 1978 he established Woolfitt’s Fine Art Supplies, an international distributor of artist materials which he managed until it was sold in 2014. In 2017, he founded The modern.toronto, a museum dedicated to the exhibition of non-objective painting and sculpture.
Woolfitt has had 25 solo exhibitions and more than 15 group exhibitions in Canada, Japan, Thailand and Chelsea, New York. Most recently a major solo exhibition of abstract drawings at the Art Gallery of Ontario. His paintings are in numerous museum, corporate and private collections internationally. In Canada his work can be found in collections at the MacLaren Ar t Centre, Hart House at the University of Toronto, the Remai Modern and The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.
In Toronto...
In New York...
The PAINTINGS
Making art is different for each of us. For me, it is the ability to draw on the happiest and saddest moments of my life and bring this to a process that I feel honored to be able to experience and share with you, the viewer, through the creation of a physical object.
Ben Woolfitt
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946) Whispering in Blue II acrylic on canvas, 42” x 36”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946)
Blue Paradise
acrylic on canvas, 60” x 72”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946) Blue Ice acrylic on canvas, 72” x 60”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946)
Paradise in Blue I
acrylic on canvas, 48” x 36”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946) Paradise in Blue II acrylic on canvas, 48” x 36”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946)
Grateful Descent Reimagined II
acrylic on canvas, 36” x 30”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946) Grateful Descent Reimagined I acrylic on canvas, 36” x 30”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946)
Radiance in Gold
acrylic on canvas, 42” x 36”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946) Deep Thought acrylic on canvas, 42” x 36”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946)
Red Slash
acrylic on canvas, 72” x 60”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946) Glow II acrylic on canvas, 48” x 42”
Radiant I acrylic on canvas, 22” x 18”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946)
Radiant II acrylic on canvas, 22” x 18”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946)
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946)
Radiant IV acrylic on canvas, 22” x 18”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946)
Radiant III acrylic on canvas, 22” x 18”
The DRAWINGS
“Woolfitt draws every day, usually starting around 6:00 a.m. He sees this early hour as a time when ‘you’re as close to the sleep state as you can be, and you’re not really involved in a thought process.’ Almost all the early drawings have writing on them, a diaristic record of the artist’s concerns and mental state at the time. Woolfitt says, ‘The texts are a way for me to examine my interior world.’ Often they simply record the time, ‘So early in the morning, the sun burning…’ Or a point in his travels, ‘On my way back home.’ Sometimes they record his meditations on the nature of human existence: ‘We are really always alone.’”
- Ken Carpenter
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946) a morning tulultuous feelings silver leaf, oil pastel, and graphite on paper, 14” x 22”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946) forever until silver leaf, oil pastel, and graphite on paper, 14” x 22”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946) a long ride silver leaf, oil pastel, and graphite on paper, 14” x 22”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946) untitled oil pastel, and graphite on paper 14” x 22”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946) an erotic moment oil pastel, and graphite on paper 14” x 22”
Ben Woolfit (b. 1946) for a moment
silver leaf, oil pastel, and graphite on paper, 14” x 22”
Curriculum Vitae
BEN WOOLFITT
Born 1946, Saskatchewan
EDUCATION
Founders College, York University 1965
PUBLICATIONS
Ben Woolfitt as Intimist by Ken Carpenter (Gallery One Editions, 2003)
Musings by Ben Woolfitt (Prince Takamado Gallery, 2011)
Ben Woolfitt: Paintings by Donald Kuspit (Epiphany Editions, 2018)
Ben Woolfitt: Drawings by Donald Kuspit (modern.toronto, 2019)
Ben Woolfitt: Rhythms and Series (AGO & Goose Lane Editions, 2021)
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Founders College, York University, Toronto 1969
Hart House, University of Toronto 1971
Toronto Center of the Arts 1973
Gallery O (Olga Korper), Toronto 1974
The New York Gallery, Rochester 1975
Phoenix Theatre, Toronto, 1976
Gallery O (Olga Korper), Toronto 1976
Gallery O (Olga Korper), Toronto 1977
Vivaxis, Toronto 1978
Wingfield, Toronto 1980
Private Exhibition, Toronto 1982
Bowen Gallery, Toronto 1987
Baird Gallery, St. Johns 1995
Prince Arthur Gallery, Toronto 2001
Prince Arthur Gallery, Toronto (November 9-16) 2002
Carlo Alessi Unpublished, New York (October) 2002
Gallery One, Toronto 2004
Moore gallery, Toronto 2005
Bangkok University Gallery, Bangkok 2007
Oeno Gallery, Toronto 2009
Moore gallery, Toronto 2009
Prince Takamado Gallery, Japan (Canadian Embassy) 2011
DeLuca Fine Art Gallery, Toronto 2014
Richard Rhodes Gallery, Toronto 2017
Oeno Gallery, Toronto 2018
modern.toronto, Toronto 2019
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto 2021
David Richard Galleries, NYC 2023
Loch Gallery, Toronto 2024
David Richard Galleries, NYC 2025
Loch Gallery, Toronto 2025
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Simon Fraser University, Vancouver BC
Hart House, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Barrie ON.
Remai Modern Art Gallery of Saskatchewan
MacLaren Art Gallery, Barrie, ON.
