Biography
One of six children of a tobacco farmer, Walter Redinger spent all but a few years of his life within miles of where he was born in 1940 in Wallacetown, in South Western Ontario. Walter spent a good deal of time exploring the rocky shores of Lake Erie, helping out on the tobacco farm and drawing with his friend and sculptor, Ed Zelenak.
At 17, he spent a year studying commercial art at Beal Technical College in London, Ontario. With no formal training in sculpture under his belt, he began to make sculpture in the family farm’s tobacco drying huts. He was taken up by the prestigious Isaacs Gallery in Toronto and would have his first one man show in 1963.
The late sixties and early seventies would see Walter rise to national and international prominence, culminating in his selection as one of two artists to represent Canada at the Venice Biennale in 1972. His studio at the time would resemble a busy factory – to keep up with his prodigious production of the period, he often needed as many as six assistants.
An active sculptor for more than 40 years, Walter Redinger is best known for his large organic fibreglass sculptures and fearless drawing. His sculptural forms are primal, highly personal, unrestrained and visceral. His most recent major solo exhibition “Return to the Void” at MOCCA in Toronto & Museum London in London, included his monumental “The Ghost Ship”, a 42 foot long organic sculpture made of fibreglass and wood which took over 20 years to complete.
Redinger’s work is in countless public galleries including the National Gallery of Canada, Art Gallery of Ontario and Art Gallery of Hamilton.
Selected Works
Walter Redinger
Caucasian Totems #3, 1971
Walter Redinger
Conal Assemblage, 1971
Walter Redinger
The Ghost Ship, 2003
Walter Redinger
Snake, 2001
Walter Redinger
1929-1984, 1974
Exhibitions
November 6 - November 27 - 2010
Ewen & Redinger
We are pleased to present these two Canadian art icons for the second time. In November 1998 we had a two person exhibition with Paterson Ewen and Walter Redinger.
More
November 1 - November 22 - 2008
Walter Redinger & David Urban
Two-person exhibition featuring dynamic sculpture by senior artist Walter Redinger and new paintings by David Urban.
MoreCurriculum Vitae
BORN
1940 – 2014 (Wallacetown, Ontario – West Lorne, Ontario)
COLLECTIONS
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, Ontario
National Arts Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
London Regional Art Gallery & Historical Museum, London, Ontario
Government of Canada, External Affairs, Ottawa, Ontario
The Gallery/Stratford, Stratford, Ontario
Art Gallery St.Thomas-Elgin, St. Thomas, Ontario
La Presse, Montreal, Quebec
Northern & Central Gas Corp, Toronto, Ontario
Canadian Jewish Congress, Montreal, Quebec
Sarnia Lambton College, Sarnia, Ontario
McIntosh Art Gallery, London, Ontario
University of Edmonton, Alberta
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan
University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario
University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
Art Gallery of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario
private collections
EDUCATION
Beal Technical School, London, ON
Ontario College of Art, Toronto, ON
Miensinger School of Art, Detroit, Michigan
EXHIBITIONS
2010 Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON “Paterson Ewen & Walter Redinger” two person
2008 Ghost Ship & Maps of the Cosmos, Museum London, London, ON
2008 Michael Gibson Gallery, London, Ontario, “Walter Redinger & David Urban”, two person
2008 Woodstock Art Gallery, Woodstock, Ontario, “The Garden Party”, solo exhibition
2008 The Art Exchange, London, Ontario, “50 Years of Influence”, group exhibition
2007 Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, NY, “Project for a Revolution in New York”, group exhibition
2007 Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA), Toronto, Ontario, “Return To The Void”
2007 Museum London, London, Ontario, “An Eye For It”, group exhibiton
2007 St. Thomas Public Art Centre, St. Thomas, Ontario, “Apparition”
2005 Museum London, London, Ontario, “Homerun: Recent Acquisitions”, group exhibiton
2005 National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, ” The Sixties in Canada”, group exhibition
2005 Mitchell Algus Art Gallery, New York, NY, Walter Redinger & Banks Violette
2005 The Arts Project, London, Ontario “Blush”, group exhibition
2004 St. Thomas Public Art Centre, St. Thomas, Ontario, “Organic Works on Paper”
2004 Michael Gibson Gallery, London, Ontario, “Small & Mighty”, small works by major artists
2003 Mitchell Algus Art Gallery, New York, NY, group exhibition
2002 New York Art Fair, New York, NY
2001 Mitchell Algus Art Gallery, New York, NY, solo exhibition
1998 Michael Gibson Gallery, London, Ontario, Walter Redinger & Paterson Ewen
1998 McIntosh Art Gallery, UWO, London, Ontario, “Souvenirs of the Unknown”
1997 Mitchell Algus Art Gallery, New York, NY, solo exhibition
1997 Mitchell Algus Art Gallery, New York, NY, group exhibition
1995 Mitchell Algus Art Gallery, New York, NY, solo exhibition
1994 London Regional Art & Historical Museum, London, Ontario, “Beyond Survival”
1994 Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, solo exhibition
1993 London Regional Art & Historical Museums, London, Ontario “Hart of London”
1992 Centre of Contemporary Art, St. Thomas, Ontario, group show
1992 The Art Gallery of St. Thomas-Elgin, St. Thomas, “Three Elgin County Artists”
1991 Sandy Snelgrove Gallery, London, Ontario
1991 The Art Gallery of St. Thomas-Elgin, St.Thomas, Ontario, “Elgin Points of View”
1990 Isaacs Art Gallery ,Toronto, Ontario, solo exhibition
1990 Oakville Galleries, Oakville, Ontario
1989 McIntosh Art Gallery, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario
1987 Thielsen Art Gallery, London, Ontario
1985 Owens Art Gallery, Mt. Allison University, New Brunswick
1984 London Regional Art Gallery, London , Ontario, “The Regional Revisited”
1983 McIntosh Art Gallery, UWO, London, Ontario, “Western Selects”
1982 The Power Plant, Contemporary Art Gallery of Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Ontario “Public Place- Private Space”
1982 London Regional Art Gallery, London, Ontario, “Venice Celebrations”, Artists from London who represented Canada in Venice – Greg Curnoe, Paterson Ewen, Ron Martin & Walter Redinger
1982 The Guild, Scarborough, Ontario, “Outdoor Contemporary Art Show”
1981 Summer Studio Show and Presentation, West Lorne, Ontario
1980 The Art Gallery of St.Thomas-Elgin, St.Thomas, Ontario, “Mini-Retrospective”
1980 London Regional Art Gallery, London, Ontario, “Opening Celebrations”
1980 The Isaacs Art Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, solo exhibition
1979 The Isaacs Gallery – Toronto, Ontario, solo exhibition
1979 The Birmingham Festival of Arts, Birmingham, Alabama
1978 The Power Plant, Contemporary Art Gallery at Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Ontario
1977 London Regional Art Gallery, London, Ontario
1977 McIntosh Art Gallery, UWO, London, Ontario
1977 Isaacs Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, solo exhibition
1976 Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, “Ontario Now”
1976 McIntosh Art Gallery, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario
1975 Isaacs Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, solo exhibition
1974 Owens Art Gallery, Mt. Allison University, New Brunswick
1974 New York Cultural Centre, New York, NY, solo exhibition
1974 Scarborough College, Scarborough, Ontario, “Sculpture Today”
1973 Rodman Hall Arts Centre, St. Catharines, Ontario, “6 Canadian Sculptors”
1973 Isaacs Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, solo exhibition
1973 The Art Gallery of St. Thomas-Elgin, St. Thomas, Ontario
1973 Saidye Bronfman Centre, Montreal, Quebec
1972 36th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy, Canada’s representative for sculpture
1972 Trent University, Peterborough, Peterbourgh, Ontario
1972 Edmonton Art gallery, Edmonton, Alberta , “Diversity East”
1972 Isaacs Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, solo exhibition
1971 Rothmans Art Gallery, Stratford, Ontario, “Canadian Cross Section”
1971 Man and His World, Montreal, Quebec
1970 Isaacs Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, solo exhibition
1970 Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, “Sensory Perceptions”
1970 Hart House, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, ” Monuments”
1970 Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, “3D’s into the 70’s”
1969 York University Art Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
1969 Isaacs Gallery- Toronto, Ontario, solo exhibition
1969 20/20 Gallery, London, Ontario
1969 Rothman’s Art Gallery, Stratford, Ontario, “London SW 17”
1969 Galerie de France, Paris, France, “Canada Tendences Actuelles”
1969 Milwaukee Art Centre, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, “Plastic Presence”
1969 San Franciso Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA, “Plastics”
1968 Isaacs Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, solo exhibition
1968 Montreal, Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Quebec, “Survey 68”
1968 Isaacs Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, group show
1968 Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, “Ontario Centennial Exhibition”
1968 Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Quebec, group show
1968 National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, “The Hart of London”
1968 Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, “Canadian Artists 68”
1967 McIntosh Art Gallery, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario
1964 Rothmans Art Gallery, Stratford, Ontario
1964 Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Quebec
1963 20/20 Gallery, London, Ontario
1963 Isaacs Art Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, solo exhibition
1961 Western Ontario Art League, London, Ontario
AWARDS
Pollock-Krasner Foundation Inc.
Drawing Award, Meinsinger School of Art, Detroit, Michigan
Sculpture Prize, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts , Montreal, Quebec
Canada Council Awards Junior
Canada Council Awards Senior
Victor Lynch Staunton Award
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY
Represented Canada at the Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy, 1972
Artist-in-Residence, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, 1976, 1977
Member of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
Guest Lectures – The Ontario College of Art – Toronto, Fanshawe College – London, Ontario, The University of Western Ontario – London, Ontario, Mt. Allison University – Mt. Allison, New Brunswick, The University of Waterloo – Waterloo, Ontario, The University of Guelph – Guelph, Ontario, Ohio State University – Columbus, Ohio.
SELECTED COMMISSIONS
1988 Gairloch Gardens, Oakville, Ontario
1982 Dr. R.N.Redinger, Louisville, Kentucky
1979 Por and Associates, London, Ontario
1978 National Parks Commission, Ottawa, Ontario
1977 Les Ballet Jazz, Montreal, Quebec
1976 KOPEC – Kingston, Ontario
1974 University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario
1974 Provincial Court House, London, Ontario
1974 Pinetree Development, Toronto, Ontario
1973 The Art Gallery of St.Thomas-Elgin, St. Thomas, Ontario
1973 Canadian Jewish Congress, Montreal, Quebec
1972 Het National Ballet, Holland
1972 Rothman’s Art Gallery, Stratford, Ontario
1970 Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Ottawa, Ontario “Centennial Celebrations”
DOCUMENTATION
2005 Jeff Redinger, “Into the Garden Party”
1995 Michael Greer, “Beyond Survival”
1982 Phil Ross and Walter Redinger, “Landscape Vision & Dreams”
1976 Peter Crass, film on Walter Redinger
1973 Peter and Fran Melon, film on Walter Redinger
1973 Educational Television, film on Walter Redinger
1971 E.Bromfield, film on Walter Redinger
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