BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS  

Colin Cameron Ramsay

December 13 1891 - July 3 1966

Vancouver Exhibition


Colin Cameron Ramsay was born at Bridge of Allan, Scotland, in 1891. He was a student at the Glasgow School of Art under Greiffenhagen, and studied in Rome and Florence. He exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, and at the Royal Glasgow Institute. He was a painter in oil and pastels.

He lived in Vancouver, and in B.C. from 1930. He had a one-man exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1932. He exhibited at the Vancouver Art Gallery in a number of the B.C. Artists annual exhibitions. He also showed work in the B.C. Artists Christmas exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1933 and 1935.

In 1932 he was a signatory to an agreement to boycott the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa for their exhibition and purchase policies related to Canadian artists.


Reproduction of portrait of John G. Lister by Colin Ramsay in 1933 VANTECH

In 1933 Ramsay was commissioned to paint a portrait of John George Lister, the late first principal of the Vancouver Technical School. It was presented with a plaque that states "A token of Respect and Esteem from His Old Students and The British Columbia Teachers' Federation." The portrait and the plaque were still on display in the school's main entry lobby in June 2022, although the painting needs some restoration work, as the oil paint has a lot of cracks in it.

Cameron exhibited artwork in the 1936 B.C. Artists' Golden Jubilee exhibition at David Spencer's Department store on Hastings Street, Vancouver. His painting was one of three voted most popular by the 15,000 people who viewed the exhibition.

He died in North Vancouver in 1966 at the age of 74. He was single, his occupation was noted as "Artist."


SOLO EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION LOCATION
Oct. 5 - 16 1932 Solo Exhibition VAG

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION ARTWORK
1932 May - July VAG   All Canadian Exhibition The Roman Scarf
1932 Oct. 5 - 30 VAG   B.C. Artists 1st Annual Dora
1933 Feb. 13 - 18 Sylvia Court    West End Artists Exhibition Dora
1933 Sept. 22 - Oct. 15 VAG   B.C. Artists 2nd Annual Stewart De Trafford Young
Alice Elizabeth
Villa D'Este
Barga
1933 Dec. 1 - 17 VAG   B.C. Artists Christmas Exhibition Italian Landscape
Barge
San Francesco, Fiesole
1934 Sept. 21 - Oct. 14 VAG   B.C. Artists 3rd Annual Mrs. A. Fraser-Gosse
Mrs. R.J. Cromie
1934 Dec. 4 - 16 VAG   B.C. Artists Christmas Exhibition Casa Delle Vestali
Ostia
1935 Sept. 20 - Oct. 15 VAG   B.C. Artists 4th Annual Wanda de Turczynovicz
Dora and Florence
Self Portrait
1935 Nov. 22 - Dec. 8 VAG   B.C. Artists Christmas Exhibition Pastel
Pastel
1936 Aug. 18 - 28 David Spencer B.C. Artists' Golden Jubilee De Trafford Young
1936 Sept. 18 - Oct. 11 VAG   B.C. Artists 5th Annual Portrait - Miss Sheila Russell
Street in Rome
Italian Scene
1936 Oct. 15 - 20 VAG   B.C. Artists Chilliwack Exhibition Portrait - Miss Sheila Russell
Street in Rome
1937 Sept. 17 - Oct. 10 VAG   B.C. Artists 6th Annual Portrait - Traviata
Portrait - Myself
Line Tree Point
1938 Sept. 16 - Oct. 9 VAG   B.C. Artists 7th Annual Morning in Florence
The Bridge
1939 Sept. 15 - Oct. 8 VAG   B.C. Artists 8th Annual Culross
1940 Sept. 20 - Oct. 13 VAG   B.C. Artists 9th Annual Still Life
Old Stirling
1943 July 2 - Aug. 25 VAG   B.C. Artists 2nd Annual Summer March winds

References

WHO'S WHO IN NORTHWEST ART (refer to WWNA41)
      Brief entry, address at 1424 Comox Street, Vancouver.

ARTISTS IN CANADA 1982 - UNION LIST OF ARTISTS' FILES (refer to AIC82)

BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF ARTISTS IN CANADA (refer to BIAC03)
      1 reference cited for Ramsay: WWNA above.

VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY - B.C. ARTISTS FILES (refer to VPL)

CITY & PROVINCIAL DIRECTORIES 1934 (refer to DIR)

B.C. VITAL STATISTICS ON-LINE death (refer to BCVS)

Clippings

" ... the 118 artists who have signed the agreement to date ... include ... C. Cameron Ramsay ... "
      From "Canadian Artists Unite to Boycott National Gallery" by The Canadian Press
      Montreal Gazette, December 8 1932

"Cameron Ramsay has a portrait of "Dora," ... "
      From "'West End' Show Of Art Works" by D.S.M.
      Vancouver Sun, February 15 1933

"Many other well-known artists are represented, including ... Cameron Ramsay ... "
      From "Bargains in Art" by D.S.M.
      Vancouver Sun, December 1 1933

" ... there are paintings by many artists whose names are prominently mentioned wherever British Columbia artists are discussed. These include ... Cameron Ramsay ..."
      From "400 B.C. Pictures in Jubilee Art Show"
      Vancouver Sun, August 15 1936


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