The Artistic Journey of Ronald Benjamin Moppett
Born in England on March 12, 1945, Ronald Benjamin Moppett is a Canadian painter who immigrated to Calgary with his family in 1957. His creative practice is characterized by abstract paintings and works that integrate paint with collage and non-traditional materials. Throughout his career, Moppett has engaged with the art community in various capacities, serving as a curator, gallery director, and teacher while pursuing his work as a painter.
His exhibition history spans several decades, beginning in 1966. Notable milestones include a retrospective at the Walter Phillips Gallery at The Banff Centre in 1982 and a showing at the 49th Parallel Centre for Contemporary Art, New York, in 1988. In 2012, he created THESAMEWAYBETTER/READER, a massive mural in Calgary's East Village composed of more than 950,000 mosaic tiles, which stands as the largest free-standing mosaic mural in Canada.
Exhibitions and Recognition
Moppett's work has been featured in numerous significant exhibitions, including a two-person show at the National Gallery of Canada alongside his son, Damian Moppett. His sculpture and installation work was highlighted in a large survey at the Nickle Arts Museum titled Ron Moppett: Sculptur(al) in 2015. In 2025, he collaborated with John Hall on a series of paintings titled Framed: John Hall and Ron Moppett at Loch Gallery in Calgary.
His contributions to the arts have been recognized through several prestigious honors, including:
- The Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award (1986)
- The Gershon Iskowitz Prize (1997)
- The Alberta Centennial Medal (2005)
- Honorary MFA recipient from AU (2022)
His paintings are held in various esteemed collections, such as the Canada Council Art Bank Collection, the National Gallery of Canada, and the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal.
