bill bissett

April 19 - May 6, 2023

Peter Estey Fine Art is pleased to present an online exhibition of paintings by Canadian artist and poet bill bissett. The works are from a British Columbia private collection and span a 40-year period, from the 1970s to 2009.

Born in Halifax in 1939, bissett is an early innovator of experimental poetry in Canada. He has written over 60 books of poetry and was the founder of blewointment magazine in 1962, later launching blew ointment press in 1964, a publishing house of contemporary writers. The CBC produced a documentary on bissett titled Strange Grey Day in 1965, which was one of the first introductions of his work to the public. In 1984, the Vancouver Art Gallery hosted fire in th tempul, a solo exhibition of bissett’s work, curated by Scott Watson. The paintings dansing figur and wintr eye, included in our online presentation, were both part of the Vancouver Art Gallery exhibition. In 2006, a poetic tribute to bissett was published by Nightwood Editions, which included contributions by over 80 writers, including Margaret Atwood, P.K. Page, and Leonard Cohen. In 2007, bissett received the George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to literature in British Columbia.

Information

Please click on each image for additional photographs and information. For purchase inquires, email [email protected] or call (416) 827-6977. If shipping is required, contact us for a quote, otherwise pickup is available in the Saint John area.