Brian Kipping: Toronto Artist To Remember

Celebrated painter and photographer Brian Kipping (1953-2007) was born in Edmonton. By 15, Kipping had a darkroom for his photography, and would often paint from the photographs he took. In 1970, at age 17, Kipping moved to Toronto to study art at the Ontario College of Art (OCA). His years at the college were spent with an emphasis on conceptual and traditional art, until his time studying under forward-thinking artist Roy Ascott in his final year, which he remembers as being ‘liberating.’ In 1974, the year of his graduation, he received both the G.A. Reid scholarship and the O.C.A. Medal. 

Three artists, from left to right: John Scott, Brian Kipping, and Peter Hill. Featured in the Toronto Star, 1978, at Bau-Xi Gallery. Photo by Boris Spremo, Toronto Star. 
Courtesy of Toronto Public Library, obj. no. TSPA_0104295F

Following his studies, Kipping resumed ‘Memory Drawings,’ a collection of drawings he had begun in his first year, which depicted scenes from his life — homes of present and past, rooms of friends and family, buildings that stuck in his memory. Many of these drawings were annotated with significance and details he hoped not to forget: ‘string of lights all different colors,’ or ‘where my bike sat when it was stolen.’ Often, he would draw a memory several times, hoping to remember more details with each draft. He would work on this series until 1976.

In 1975, Kipping began working as a curator at Gallery 76 at the Art College, and co-founded the YYZ Artists Outlet, a Toronto-based center for artists. Throughout the 1970s, he experimented with various mediums, however, the subject matter of his work consistently showed interest in the urban, consistent with his home at 137 John St, at the center of the city, the surroundings of which comprise many of his works. From the distinctive lighting of diners and laundromats to the fine architectural detail of train stations and town halls, he intended to represent Toronto and its many niches. Throughout the 70s, Kipping described a convolution of philosophy towards his art — coming off of his studies, he believed in the power of conceptual art, but became increasingly inclined towards the traditional notion that ‘art should not have a function’ – that is, a painting is a painting. When asked whether his art should be interpreted as political, he replied that he doesn’t ‘have a preconceived statement and then find an image that fits it.’ Instead, he says, he ‘paint[s] what is really there.’

Come the 80s, Kipping’s career accelerated. He began exhibiting consistently in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and eventually, New York. While exhibiting in New York, he created a series of oil paintings depicting the city in his curious, dream-like style which he continued to develop. In 1987, he was commissioned with sculptor John McKinnon to create a mural for Toronto’s New City Hall. The project was revered for its loving, yet honest depiction of the city. In 2002, the Robert McLaughlin Library released a catalogue of his work entitled ‘Brian Kipping: Descriptions of What is Known.’ 

Kipping’s art – and especially his oil-on-wood paintings – was revered for its dream-like quality and ability to represent the city without its inhabitants. These qualities were not accidental: Kipping was known to have an obsession with crafting the city to be the ‘character’ of his work. He claims Alain Robbe-Grillet as an influence, a writer who believed in relegating character in order to reveal the truth of objects and scenery. Kipping was also inspired by a fascination with perception — particularly, the simultaneous truth and falsity of our memories. The size of his paintings worked in unison with these ideas; Kipping was known to produce relatively small pieces in a time where contemporary art was increasingly seen in large-format. He defended and upheld the small scale of his paintings throughout his career as being product of his fundamentally intimate practice. On the matter, he claimed that ‘the human scale isn’t a six foot canvas. It’s something that you can fit under your arm.’ His work was often described as nuanced and realistic, and simple and romantic in the same breath. Critics referred to the duality of these qualities as ‘his paradox’: though his work was inspired by traditional and reminiscent of Dutch impressionism, it was also deeply original and new. 

While he considered himself primarily an artist, he was also a bass-player and member of blues band the Paul James Band, with whom he won a Juno award in 2002. However, his career in music came to a halt in 2004, upon Kipping’s diagnosis with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Despite his illness, Kipping was determined to continue his work. ‘I’m not finished with my work yet and that idea alone can keep you alive.’ He believes that his years of illness produced his best work, and that along with his outlook on life, the attitude of his work shifted towards the positive. ‘Painting gives me a reason to live, every day,’ he claimed. Kipping fought his illness for 3 years, producing paintings all the while, but ultimately died of lymphoma in 2007, at age 53. His work is held between private collections and public galleries. 

Written by Madeleine Chinneck for McCanse Art.