BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS |
Varley went to Europe during World War One as a war artist from 1914 to 1918, painting a number of important and even controversial works.
Varley became a major influence on the west coast art scene when he arrived in Vancouver in 1926 to begin teaching at the recently opened Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Art under Charles Scott.
In 1927 he exhibited work in Victoria with the Island Arts and Crafts Society. He exhibited work with the B.C. Society of Fine Arts in November 1929. He also showed work in the annual B.C. Artists exhibitions in 1932 and 1934.
He exhibited in the Seattle Art Museum's annual Northwest Artists exhibitions in 1930, 1931, and 1937.
He exhibited three paintings at the Canadian National Exhibition in 1930, 1931, and 1939.
Varley had a solo exhibition in 1932 at the Vancouver Art Gallery, a show of landscapes in oil, watercolours, and drawings. The exhibition catalogue list includes catalogue numbers and prices but no titles for any of the artwork except for 4 of the 90 works in the show.
His contributions have been well recorded in biographies, exhibition catalogues, and surveys
of Canadian art, including the 1935 confidential report by
Arthur Lismer to the National Gallery of Canada, where Lismer
noted that Varley
"... has raised the whole standard of achievement and interest of hundreds of young people
and many of the more mature artists."
Varley showed work in the B.C. Artists Christmas exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1933.
Varley c.v. from B.C. College of Arts Prospectus 1933
In 1934 he had work in the RCA's 55th Annual exhibition, held at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
In 1941 he had work in the RCA's 62nd Annual exhibition, held at the Art Association of Montreal.
A large number of paintings and sketches remain from his years of work in Vancouver, a historic legacy of one of our most noted and flamboyant artists.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
DATE | EXHIBITION | LOCATION |
1932 December 1 - 12 | Solo Exhibition | VAG |
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
DATE | EXHIBITION | ARTWORK |
1928 Sept. 3 - 8 | ProvExh 8th Annual Salon | John |
1929 Nov. 16 - 30 | BCSFA Winter Exhibition | Afternoon Light |
Colour Pattern | ||
A Lonely Beach | ||
Coast Mountain Forms | ||
Dawn | ||
1930 Aug. 22 - Sept. 6 | CNE Fine Art | Norma |
1931 Aug. 28 - Sept. 12 | CNE Canadian Paintings in Oil | Vee |
1932 May - July | V.A.G. All-Canadian Exhibition | Morning |
Portrait Study | ||
The Gorge of the Sphinx | ||
Flora | ||
1932 Oct. 5 - 30 | VAG B.C. Artists 1st Annual | Dharana |
Fire Ranger's Cabin, Lynn Valley | ||
Dawn | ||
Early Morning | ||
Drawing of a Head | ||
1933 Dec. 1 - 17 | VAG B.C. Artists Christmas Exhibition | Tantalus Mountains |
Flora | ||
The Gorge of the Sphinx | ||
1934 Sept. 21 - Oct. 14 | VAG B.C. Artists 3rd Annual | Valley of Clouds |
High Summer | ||
Head of Negress | ||
Woman | ||
1934 ? - ? | VAG B.C. Artists Edmonton Exhibition | Tranquil Valley |
Dawn | ||
Head of a Woman | ||
1935 Sept. 20 - Oct. 15 | VAG B.C. Artists 4th Annual | Landscape |
1939 Aug. 25 - Sept. 9 | CNE Canadian Fine Art | Portrait of Mrs. Ernest Ely |
SOUVENIR CATALOGUE OF EXHIBITIONS OPENING
THE NEW VANCOUVER ART GALLERY
(refer to VAG51)
100 YEARS OF B.C. ART (refer to VAG58)
ARTE CANADIENSE (refer to NGC60)
CONTEMPORARIES OF EMILY CARR IN BRITISH COLUMBIA (refer to SFU74)
VANCOUVER: ART & ARTISTS 1931 - 1983 (refer to VAG83)
VISIONS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (refer to VAG09)
SHORE, FOREST AND BEYOND - ART FROM THE AUDAIN COLLECTION (refer to VAG11)
COTTAGES TO COMMUNITIES (refer to WVHS11)
B.C. COLLEGE OF ARTS Prospectus 1933
WHO'S WHO IN NORTHWEST ART (refer to WWNA41)
BRITISH COLUMBIA - A CENTENNIAL ANTHOLOGY (refer to BCCA58)
THE FINE ARTS IN VANCOUVER, 1886 - 1930 (refer to THOM69)
CREATIVE CANADA - Volumes One & Two (refer to CC71)
Includes 1-1/2 columns of information on Varley.
THE DICTIONARY OF BRITISH ARTISTS 1880 - 1940 (refer to DBA76)
CANADIAN ART PRINTS (refer to CAP79)
ROYAL CANADIAN ACADEMY OF ARTS -
EXHIBITIONS & MEMBERS 1880 - 1979
(refer to RCA81)
MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS -
SPRING EXHIBITIONS 1880 - 1970
(refer to MM88)
ART BC, MASTERWORKS FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA by Ian M. Thom
2000, Douglas & McIntyre Ltd., ISBN 1-55054-808-5
232 pages illustrated in colour and b&w
Includes historical essays, biographical notes, index.
CANADIAN ART - FROM ITS BEGINNINGS TO 2000 (refer to CAN00)
CANVAS OF WAR - PAINTING THE CANADIAN EXPERIENCE 1914 TO 1945
2000, by Dean F. Oliver, Laura Brandon; Foreword by J.L. Granatstein
Douglas & McIntyre Ltd., ISBN 1-55054-772-0
178 pages illustrated in colour and b&w
Includes historical essays, chronology, sources, index of works, index of artists.
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF ARTISTS IN CANADA
(refer to BIAC03)
25 references to Varley.
THE FECKLESS COLLECTION (refer to FECK18)
GREATER VANCOUVER ART GALLERIES 1954-2020
(refer to GVAG20)
1 references to Varley.
ISLAND ARTS AND CRAFTS SOCIETY - List of Exhibitors
VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY - B.C. ARTISTS FILES (refer to VPL)
CITY & PROVINCIAL DIRECTORIES 1929/31 Vancouver (refer to DIR)
"Many other well-known artists are represented, including ... F.H. Varley ... "
From "Bargains in Art" by D.S.M.
Vancouver Sun, December 1 1933
"F.H Varley, R.C.A., and J.W.G. Macdonald,
directors of the B.C. College of Art, will take
their pupils up 5,000 feet into this country which they declare has marvellous
possibilities from an artist's point of view."
From "In The Domain of Art" by Reta W. Myers
Vancouver Province, May 5 1934