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Maxwell Bennett Bates

$24,000.00

Maxwell Bennett Bates
(Canadian, 1906–1980)
Susan
1978
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated "MAXWELL BATES 1978" lower right
24 × 20 in. (61.0 × 50.8 cm)

Executed in 1978, Susan is a late masterpiece by Maxwell Bates, painted during the final, highly reflective chapter of his life in Victoria. The portrait depicts Susan poised in a theatrical, expressive gesture against a rich plum-purple backdrop. Wearing a magenta buttoned blouse and coral skirt, her face is rendered with heavy black contours, angular features, and vivid red lips. The composition carries the distinct psychological tension, satirical edge, and graphic strength that defined Bates' mature figurative work, blending European Expressionism with a deeply human subject.

1978 was a landmark year in Bates' legacy, marking both the publication of his WWII prisoner-of-war memoir A Wilderness of Days and the creation of his most refined late-period canvases. Having studied in New York under the legendary German Expressionist Max Beckmann in 1949, Bates mastered the art of using flattened space, bold outlines, and emotional color choices to reveal the inner state of his sitters. Susan captures his lifelong fascination with social identity, human vulnerability, and expressive figure painting.

Born in Calgary, Maxwell Bates was an architect, painter, poet, and pioneer of Canadian Modernism who helped transform the Western Canadian art scene. In 1971, he became the co-founder and first President of the Victoria Limners Society alongside Herbert Siebner, establishing a vital collective for contemporary artists on the West Coast. Awarded the Order of Canada in 1980, Bates remains one of the most significant and independent voices in 20th-century Canadian art history.

Exhibition History:

  • Seriously?: Comedy and Satire in Canadian Art 1970s–Now, Griffin Art Projects, North Vancouver, BC (January – May 2025)

  • Seriously?: Comedy and Satire in Canadian Art 1970s–Now, Kelowna Art Gallery, Kelowna, BC (September 2025 – January 2026)

Major Accolades & Recognition:

  • Appointed Member of the Order of Canada (C.M., 1980)

  • Co-Founder and First President, The Victoria Limners Society (1971)

  • Honorary Doctorate of Laws (LL.D.), University of Calgary (1971)

  • Recipient, Canadian Centennial Medal (1967)

  • Major Retrospective Exhibitions at Vancouver Art Gallery (1973), Winnipeg Art Gallery (1968), and Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (1982)

Selected Permanent Collections:

  • Tate Gallery (London, UK)

  • National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)

  • Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto, ON)

  • Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver, BC)

  • Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (Victoria, BC)

  • Glenbow Museum (Calgary, AB)

  • Canada Council Art Bank (Ottawa, ON)

  • Feckless Collection (Vancouver, BC)

Maxwell Bennett Bates
(Canadian, 1906–1980)
Susan
1978
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated "MAXWELL BATES 1978" lower right
24 × 20 in. (61.0 × 50.8 cm)

Executed in 1978, Susan is a late masterpiece by Maxwell Bates, painted during the final, highly reflective chapter of his life in Victoria. The portrait depicts Susan poised in a theatrical, expressive gesture against a rich plum-purple backdrop. Wearing a magenta buttoned blouse and coral skirt, her face is rendered with heavy black contours, angular features, and vivid red lips. The composition carries the distinct psychological tension, satirical edge, and graphic strength that defined Bates' mature figurative work, blending European Expressionism with a deeply human subject.

1978 was a landmark year in Bates' legacy, marking both the publication of his WWII prisoner-of-war memoir A Wilderness of Days and the creation of his most refined late-period canvases. Having studied in New York under the legendary German Expressionist Max Beckmann in 1949, Bates mastered the art of using flattened space, bold outlines, and emotional color choices to reveal the inner state of his sitters. Susan captures his lifelong fascination with social identity, human vulnerability, and expressive figure painting.

Born in Calgary, Maxwell Bates was an architect, painter, poet, and pioneer of Canadian Modernism who helped transform the Western Canadian art scene. In 1971, he became the co-founder and first President of the Victoria Limners Society alongside Herbert Siebner, establishing a vital collective for contemporary artists on the West Coast. Awarded the Order of Canada in 1980, Bates remains one of the most significant and independent voices in 20th-century Canadian art history.

Exhibition History:

  • Seriously?: Comedy and Satire in Canadian Art 1970s–Now, Griffin Art Projects, North Vancouver, BC (January – May 2025)

  • Seriously?: Comedy and Satire in Canadian Art 1970s–Now, Kelowna Art Gallery, Kelowna, BC (September 2025 – January 2026)

Major Accolades & Recognition:

  • Appointed Member of the Order of Canada (C.M., 1980)

  • Co-Founder and First President, The Victoria Limners Society (1971)

  • Honorary Doctorate of Laws (LL.D.), University of Calgary (1971)

  • Recipient, Canadian Centennial Medal (1967)

  • Major Retrospective Exhibitions at Vancouver Art Gallery (1973), Winnipeg Art Gallery (1968), and Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (1982)

Selected Permanent Collections:

  • Tate Gallery (London, UK)

  • National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)

  • Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto, ON)

  • Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver, BC)

  • Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (Victoria, BC)

  • Glenbow Museum (Calgary, AB)

  • Canada Council Art Bank (Ottawa, ON)

  • Feckless Collection (Vancouver, BC)

Maxwell Bennett Bates (1906-1980) was a pioneering figure in Canadian Modernist and Expressionist art. Initially trained in architecture, his artistic vision was shaped by his early experiences in Calgary and his transformative years in London as part of the Twenties Group. Imprisoned during World War II, Bates's postwar work gained a profound intensity. His bold canvases depict vibrant street scenes, landscapes, and striking figures, influenced by diverse sources like Max Beckmann, Paul Klee, and Japanese prints. Even after a stroke in 1962, Bates continued to create compelling portraits and character studies. A member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and recipient of the Order of Canada, Bates's legacy is celebrated for its unique power and enduring influence on Canadian art.