Description

Extended Data

DAAO URL

https://www.daao.org.au/bio/ben-wickham

Birth Place

Rockhampton, Qld, Australia

Biography

Ben Wickham was born and raised in Rockhampton where his father and some of his brothers were painter/decorators. He was educated at the Park Avenue State School and later at the North Rockhampton High School. He was largely self taught although he had lessons with local artist Charles Haywood and had the support of the art teacher Ainslie Cox, who let him set up a studio under her flat in Victoria Street, Rockhampton. She encouraged him to have lessons with Roy Churcher in Brisbane and he also was encouraged by a student teacher Annette Pirrett. He had his first exhibition at age 15 at Forday’s Paint Shop. Wickham came to Brisbane in 1967 and exhibited with the Royal National Association that year and worked at an advertising agency, Harold Vinnicombe and Associates. He held further solo exhibitions in Rockhampton at Gallery 1-11 in 1968 and at Gallery Up Top in Quay Street in 1971. He also shared an exhibition there with potter Philip McConnell a year later. He worked as a graphic artist for Capricornia Regional Electricity Board from 1970 and exhibited with the Rockhampton Branch of the Royal Queensland Art Society. He moved to Melbourne in 1972 briefly to work freelance before returning to Rockhampton. He was awarded a Rotary Club Art Prize in 1973 and produced a series of bronze heads for the (now) University of Central Queensland and also produced the sets for productions at the Philbeam Theatre. Later he moved to Sydney where he worked as a freelance scenic artist and the Sydney Theatre Company’s inaugural production The Sunny South in 1975 is included in his credits. His practical skills were developed as a scenic painter for Opera Australia over several years the early 1980s. He was also involved in the production of commercials for T.V. and worked on the production of the 1983 film Razorback, directed by Russell Mulcahy. He travelled between Queensland and Sydney for the remainder of his life. He painted several productions for the Nimrod Theatre Company including their final production of Tartuffe in 1985. Apart from his time in Rockhampton, Wickham did not exhibit extensively, although he continued to produce work on a reduced scale. Writers: Cooke, Glenn R. Date written: 2000 Last updated: 2011

Born

b. 1949

Summary

Ben Wickham's assured skill as a draftsman was evident in his early exhibiting career but his peripatetic lifestyle mitigated against its full development.

Gender

Male

Died

14-Aug-93

Age at death

44