ABOUT THE ARTIST

Joeseph Plaskett was born in New Westminster, BC in 1918. He attended Sir Richard McBride Primary School at Sapperton, then the Duke of Connaught Secondary School in New Westminster. It was there he began to copy paintings and work from nature and his imagination. Later, Plaskett entered the University of British Columbia (UBC) where he earned an Honours B.A. in History, graduating with first class honours in 1939. Plaskett attended teachers college at UBC and after graduation taught in British Columbia for five years, first at North Shore College, North Vancouver then at Coquitlam High School.

Plaskett attended the Vancouver School of Art from 1940 to 1942, and the Banff Summer School in 1944 with A.Y. Jackson. The following year he became a member of the BC Society of Artists and won a bronze medal for work in pastel. In 1946, Plaskett was awarded an Emily Carr Scholarship, which enabled him to study at the California School of Fine Art in San Francisco under William Gaw, David Park, Clay Spohn and Clyfford Still. Plaskett became principal of the Winnipeg School of Art in 1947, then resigned in 1949 in order to have more time to paint. He then left for Paris where he studied with Fernand Léger, Jean Lombard and Marzelle. The following summer he toured the British Isles, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Venice and Paris. In 1951 he moved to London, England to study at the Slade School with a bursary awarded by the British Arts Council.

At the end of 1951 he returned to New Westminster and exhibited his work at the Vancouver Art Gallery. He taught nights at the Vancouver School of Art in 1952-53. He returned to Paris in 1953 with the assistance of a Canadian Government Overseas Scholarship to study etching and engraving with Stanley Hayter. He returned to Canada in 1956 and took a teaching post with the Extension Department of the University of British Columbia. In 1956, he taught at the Vancouver School of Art and in Emma Lake, Saskatchewan. He returned to Paris in 1957 to become a full-time painter, free from any teaching duties. In 1967, he was awarded a Canada Council fellowship to paint places across Canada. When he returned to Paris in 1971, an exhibition, Joe Plaskett and his Paris - In Search of Time Past, was organized and shown at the Fine Arts Gallery of the University of British Columbia and was then circulated across Canada through the auspices of the Extension Services of the National Gallery of Canada.

Despite living abroad for over fifty years, he was staunchly Canadian. Almost annually he returned to his homeland and held exhibitions across the country. A legendary host and supporter of Canadian artists working in Europe, he was considered an unofficial ambassador in Paris. He finally gave up his 15th century Paris townhouse, home to fantastic parties, in 2004 and dedicated the proceeds of the sale to the establishment of the Plaskett Foundation. The foundation funds a year of European development for a young Canadian artist annually. When the formation of the foundation was formed in 2005, Mr. Plaskett said, “I created this award in emulation of what Emily Carr did for me in 1946. I would like young Canadian artists to enjoy the privileges I experienced more than half a century ago. Europe and, above all, France, have left me richer in knowledge and experience. Although things have changed a great deal since I first travelled and studied abroad, the lesson of Europe and its past is always waiting for those ready to learn.”

Beginning with his first exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1951, Plaskett exhibited in Canada’s greatest public art galleries. His list of solo and group exhibitions throughout Canada and Europe is immense, and in 2001, he was invested into the Order of Canada. The Plaskett bibliography is similarly impressive including numerous reviews, catalogues, and the celebrated 1991 memoir, A Speaking Likeness.

Joseph Plaskett was truly a national treasure in the Canadian art world. He died in his home on September 21, 2014 at the age of 96. He will be remembered for his artistic vision, kindness, optimism, generosity, and the influence he has had on the Canadian art world. His legacy will live on in his exquisite body of work, through the Plaskett Foundation, and in the large circle of people who were blessed by his friendship.

WORKS BY ARTIST