The Artistic Journey of Milly Ristvedt
Born in Kimberley, Canada, Milly Ristvedt is a Canadian abstract painter who has established a significant presence in the art world. Her formal training began at the Vancouver School of Art between 1961 and 1964, and she later expanded her academic expertise by earning a master's degree in Art History from Queen's University. Her scholarly work focused on the intersection of color and the grid in contemporary painting. Based in Ontario, Ristvedt is represented by the Oeno Gallery and has maintained an active practice since beginning her career in Toronto in 1964.
Throughout her career, Ristvedt has held more than fifty solo exhibitions. Her work has been featured in numerous publications, including Abstract Painting in Canada. In 1979, the Agnes Etherington Art Centre published a monograph titled Milly Ristvedt-Handerek: Paintings of a Decade, and in 2017, a second monograph titled Milly Ristvedt, Colour and Meaning: an incomplete palette was released by the Oeno Gallery, surveying her paintings from 1964 through 2016.
Collections and Recognition
The works of Milly Ristvedt are held in prestigious institutions across Canada and internationally. Her paintings are included in the collections of the following entities:
In recognition of her service as Advocacy Representative for the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, Ristvedt was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.
