Maxwell Bennett Bates
(Canadian, 1906–1980)
Untitled (Abstract Composition)
1961
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated "MAXWELL BATES 1961" upper right
Canvas: 36 × 47.75 in. (91.4 × 121.3 cm)
Frame: 42.25 × 54 in. (107.3 × 137.1 cm)
Created in 1961, this magnificent large-scale canvas represents an exceptionally rare and historically significant departure in the career of Maxwell Bennett Bates. Between 1958 and 1961, during a pivotal period in Calgary prior to his relocation to Victoria, Bates briefly experimented with pure non-objective abstraction and textured surface explorations. Because his patronage was heavily rooted in figurative Expressionism, these abstract works were produced in extremely limited numbers before he returned to narrative figure painting, making a major 36 × 48-inch abstract canvas from 1961 an exceptional rarity within his overall body of work.
The composition demonstrates Bates's architectural sensibility blended with tactile Expressionism. A luminous, scraped under-layer of golden yellow and slate blue is overlaid with a complex, woven lattice of impasto linework and dark, totemic vertical forms in black and muted rose. The grid-like structure reveals how his dual background as an architect informed his rare non-representational paintings. At over four feet wide framed, the sheer scale and atmospheric depth of this work place it among the most compelling examples of early Western Canadian abstract modernism.
Maxwell Bennett Bates was a towering figure in Canadian art and one of Western Canada's foremost modernists. Celebrated as a pioneer of Canadian Expressionism, he spent time in London during the 1930s exhibiting with the Twenties Group alongside Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore before surviving five years as a prisoner of war during WWII. Upon his return to Canada, Bates revitalized Western Canadian modernism through his bold, psychologically charged paintings and accomplished architectural designs. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1980 and remains one of the most versatile Canadian artists of the 20th century.
Major Accolades & Recognition:
Appointed Officer of the Order of Canada (1980)
Recipient of the Canadian Centennial Medal (1967)
Honorary Doctorate of Laws (LL.D.), University of Calgary (1971)
Major Retrospective Exhibitions at Vancouver Art Gallery (1973), Winnipeg Art Gallery (1968), and Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (1966)
Selected Permanent Collections:
The Tate Gallery (London, UK)
National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver, BC)
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (Victoria, BC)
Glenbow Museum (Calgary, AB)
Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto, ON)
University of Lethbridge Art Gallery (Lethbridge, AB)
Art Gallery of Alberta (Edmonton, AB)
Maxwell Bennett Bates
(Canadian, 1906–1980)
Untitled (Abstract Composition)
1961
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated "MAXWELL BATES 1961" upper right
Canvas: 36 × 47.75 in. (91.4 × 121.3 cm)
Frame: 42.25 × 54 in. (107.3 × 137.1 cm)
Created in 1961, this magnificent large-scale canvas represents an exceptionally rare and historically significant departure in the career of Maxwell Bennett Bates. Between 1958 and 1961, during a pivotal period in Calgary prior to his relocation to Victoria, Bates briefly experimented with pure non-objective abstraction and textured surface explorations. Because his patronage was heavily rooted in figurative Expressionism, these abstract works were produced in extremely limited numbers before he returned to narrative figure painting, making a major 36 × 48-inch abstract canvas from 1961 an exceptional rarity within his overall body of work.
The composition demonstrates Bates's architectural sensibility blended with tactile Expressionism. A luminous, scraped under-layer of golden yellow and slate blue is overlaid with a complex, woven lattice of impasto linework and dark, totemic vertical forms in black and muted rose. The grid-like structure reveals how his dual background as an architect informed his rare non-representational paintings. At over four feet wide framed, the sheer scale and atmospheric depth of this work place it among the most compelling examples of early Western Canadian abstract modernism.
Maxwell Bennett Bates was a towering figure in Canadian art and one of Western Canada's foremost modernists. Celebrated as a pioneer of Canadian Expressionism, he spent time in London during the 1930s exhibiting with the Twenties Group alongside Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore before surviving five years as a prisoner of war during WWII. Upon his return to Canada, Bates revitalized Western Canadian modernism through his bold, psychologically charged paintings and accomplished architectural designs. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1980 and remains one of the most versatile Canadian artists of the 20th century.
Major Accolades & Recognition:
Appointed Officer of the Order of Canada (1980)
Recipient of the Canadian Centennial Medal (1967)
Honorary Doctorate of Laws (LL.D.), University of Calgary (1971)
Major Retrospective Exhibitions at Vancouver Art Gallery (1973), Winnipeg Art Gallery (1968), and Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (1966)
Selected Permanent Collections:
The Tate Gallery (London, UK)
National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver, BC)
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (Victoria, BC)
Glenbow Museum (Calgary, AB)
Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto, ON)
University of Lethbridge Art Gallery (Lethbridge, AB)
Art Gallery of Alberta (Edmonton, AB)
