Frederick Horsman Varley
(1881-1969)

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Frederick Horsman Varley was an English born painter, known for his contributions to Canadian based Group of Seven. Varley spent his early years near Sheffield, England, embracing his rural surroundings. From an early age, Varley realized his interest in art and enrolled at the Sheffield School of Art. Varley remained at the school for eight years, between 1882 and 1900. Varley later ventured to Antwerp, Belgium to continue his studies at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts. Varley spent two years studying old master painting in Belgium before returning to England.

By 1912, Varley realized his career in England was not flourishing and decided to look for more opportunities in Canada. Arthur Lismer, a friend who also emigrated from England, led Varley to Toronto. In Toronto, Varley began painting with a group of young artists, who would soon form the Group of Seven.

Varley and many others from the Group of Seven worked as commercial artists for a company called Grip Ltd. Outside of the office, the colleagues would take painting trips outside of the city to paint the majestic Canadian wilderness.

Unlike the other artists in the Group of Seven, Varley preferred to paint portraits, and spent less time focusing on landscapes of Ontario. Varley also spent a couple of years working as an artist for the Canadian War Records. The Department sent Varley back to Europe to paint war scenes and portraits. Varley was highly awarded for the quality of his work and service to his country.

During the 1920s, Varley did several portraits for the Massey family before finding employment at the Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts. In Vancouver, Varley was greatly inspired by the scenery and began to paint vibrant landscapes of British Columbia. By 1933 Varley worked to open a new school western Canada known as the BC College of Arts. Unfortunately the start of the Great Depression forced the school to close a couple of years later.

In 1936, Varley moved back to Ontario where he painted in both Ottawa and Montréal. Varley is noted for being the most nomadic of the Group of Seven, as he constantly moved around Canada. Varley’s portraits and landscapes are now in major Canadian collections. Do you think that you may own a painting by Frederick Varley? Contact us. We are the experts on Frederick Varley.