Ian Wallace, born in 1943 in Shoreham England, moved to Canada with his family and settled in West Vancouver in 1953.  After graduating with a Master’s degree in Art History from the University of British Columbia, Wallace taught art history at the university from 1967 to 1970, and then at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design from 1972 to 1998.

Wallace was influenced by professors BC Binning and Ian Baxter who helped him appreciate the potential of “concept” in the development of historical and contemporary imagery. Following an exhibition at the 49th Parallel Gallery in New York City in 1985, Wallace became a senior member of a group of conceptual artists who became recognized as the “Vancouver School”. Known for his contemporary approach to linking painting with photography, and for his critical writings on art and art history, Wallace is an internationally respected educator and artist.

In 2004, Wallace was the recipient of the Governor General’s Award for the Visual Arts.  In 2013, Wallace was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada, and was honoured with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2014.  In 2014, Wallace was awarded the Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture. The Audain Art Prize was awarded to Wallace in 2022.

Today, Wallace is an active exhibiting artist, writer, and educator and is an influential figure in the development, promotion and appreciation of an internationally acknowledged photographic and conceptual approach to artistic practice.  

$2000.00

The edition of Drums and Paint reflects the Ian Wallace's interest in the studio experience as an integral part of his imagery. This image was created directly in Ian Wallace's studio, and is an exclusive image of a subject accessible only to Wallace as the artist/author.  Wallace's notice of the strong contrast and “rich colour of the paint pot and the canvas surface” struck a resonance with him as did the “memory of sound” implied by his drum hit. The architectural composition of this photo work reflects Wallace’s formal interest in linear space and the bold, warm colour imbues a strength, which is Wallace at his existential best.