Ben Woolfitt
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BiographyBen Woolfitt (b. 1946, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a modernist and postmodernist painter. He has lived in Toronto since 1965, when he enrolled at Founders College, York University. In 1972, he founded Woolfitt's School of Contemporary Painting, where he taught until 1979. He later established Woolfitt's Fine Art Supplies in 1978, building it into an international distributor of artists' materials before selling the business in 2014. In 2017, Woolfitt founded modern.toronto, a museum dedicated to the exhibition of nonobjective painting. His work has been influenced since the 1960s by Color Field painting particularly the work of Mark Rothko, Morris Louis, Hans Hotmann, and Jules Olitski-and later by Antoni Tàpies. Woolfitt has presented 30 solo exhibitions and participated in 15 group exhibitions across Canada, Japan, Thailand, and the United States. Most recently, he mounted a major solo exhibition of abstract drawings at the Art Gallery of Ontario. His paintings are held in numerous public, corporate, and private collections internationally, including the MacLaren Art Centre, Hart House at the University of Toronto, the Remai Modern, and the Robert McLaughlin Gallery.
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Works
Ben Woolfitt
so tight so close, July 12th, 2025Silver leaf, oil pastel, and graphite on paper14 by 22 inches
Framed 28 1/4 in by 20 1/2 in by 1 1/2 inCopyright The ArtistBibliographyBen Woolfitt: Rhythms and Series (AGO & Goose Lane Editions, 2021)
Ben Woolfitt: Drawings by Donald Kuspit (modern.toronto, 2019)
Ben Woolfitt: Paintings by Donald Kuspit (Epiphany Editions, 2018)
Musings by Ben Woolfitt (Prince Takamado Gallery, 2011)
Ben Woolfitt as Intimist by Ken Carpenter (Gallery One Editions, 2003)Solo Exhibitions
2025 Loch Gallery, Toronto
2025 David Richard Galleries, NYC
2023 David Richard Galleries, NYC
2021 Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
2019 modern.toronto, Toronto
2018 Oeno Gallery, Toronto
2017 Richard Rhodes Gallery, Toronto
2014 DeLuca Fine Art Gallery, Toronto
2011 Prince Takamado Gallery, Japan (Canadian Embassy)
2009 Moore Gallery, Toronto
2009 Oeno Gallery, Toronto
2007 Bangkok University Gallery, Bangkok
2005 Moore gallery, Toronto
2004 Gallery One, Toronto
2002 Carlo Alessi Unpublished, New York
2002 Prince Arthur Gallery, Toronto
2001 Prince Arthur Gallery, Toronto
1995 Baird Gallery, St. Johns
1987 Bowen Gallery, Toronto
1982 Private Exhibition, Toronto
1981 Vivaxis, Toronto
1980 Wingfield, Toronto
1978 Vivaxis, Toronto
1977 Gallery O (Olga Korper), Toronto
1976 Gallery O (Olga Korper), Toronto
1976 Phoenix Theatre, Toronto
1975 The New York Gallery, Rochester
1974 Gallery O (Olga Korper), Toronto
1973 Toronto Center of the Arts
1971 Hart House, University of Toronto.
1969 Founders College, York University, Toronto
