Benjamin Chee Chee: Life and Legacy

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Benjamin Chee Chee, "Untitled [In Flight]," 1977

acrylic on paper 45.7 x 60.7 cm. Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Bert Curtis Benjamin Chee Chee Collection

February 6, 5-7 pm "Celebrating Chee Chee," An in depth look at the exhibition Benjamin Chee Chee: Life and Legacy. Hear from the exhibition organizers Felicity Buckell, Project Curator, Melissa La Porte, Executive Director/Curator Temiskaming Art Gallery and Hugh McKenzie, Artist, Curator, and friend of Chee Chee. 

Benjamin Chee Chee (March 14, 1944 – March 11, 1977) lived a rich and full, but tragically short, life. During his four years as a full time professional visual artist in Montreal and Ottawa his work was prolific and disparate, ranging from his iconic Friends and ‘Benji birds’ to his less generally familiar abstracts.

Benjamin Chee Chee: Life and Legacy is the third major retrospective exhibition of Benjamin Chee Chee. The first was held at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery in 1983, upon their acquisition of a collection of 49 paintings and five prints for their new gallery, the Thunder Bay Nation and Exhibition and Centre for Indian Art. In 1991 the Thunder Bay Art Gallery held a second retrospective exhibition. Benjamin Chee Chee: The Black Geese Portfolio was curated by Robert Houle and featured 18 minimalist images of geese, the last body of work created by Chee Chee prior to his death in 1977.

Benjamin Chee Chee: Life and Legacy comprises a comprehensive selection of Chee Chee’s works gathered from galleries and individuals across Ontario. The exhibition presents a personal perspective, achieved through multifarious collaborations, including those with close friends of Chee Chee’s.