“The brightness that leaps from his canvasses is like crystals seen through a microscope.” TIME
Artist and colour master Henri van Bentum, 92, of Victoria, BC, passed away tranquilly in the company of his beloved lifelong partner, Natasha van Bentum, on April 2, 2022.
Henri was born on August 13, 1929 in the Netherlands. The son of diamond-facetter Hendricus Johannes van Bentum and Antonia Alberse, Henri began painting after WWII in a sanatorium during a long bout with tuberculosis. Later the doctors said ‘taking up painting saved his life’.
Cured, he immigrated to Canada in 1957, where two years later in early spring he travelled by train to the Rocky Mountains to paint, a trip sponsored by friend and doctor Wilf S. Goodman.
While painting ‘en plein air’ at Moraine Lake, two faculty members of the Banff School of Fine Arts came upon him unexpectedly. When they saw what was on his easel, Henri was invited to attend the school’s summer session (which he didn’t know existed). Having no money, they waived the usual fees.
Ironically it was in the Rocky Mountains that Henri discovered he was a born abstract painter, and left representational art behind, never turning back. In Toronto he studied with J.W.G. (“Jock”) Macdonald, his respected mentor. Two one-man exhibitions at Roberts Gallery followed.
Henri’s work is represented in over 200 public and private collections. He had solo exhibitions in Paris, New York, Banff, Mexico City, Toronto and Montreal. The Paris exhibition was officially opened by then-Ambassador to France, Jules Léger.
Henri freely shared his love of art, especially colour, with others, teaching classes with new Canadian immigrants and lecturing widely throughout Ontario.
Henri was a pioneer, as well, of the Artists in the Schools program in Ontario.
All this was done despite a facial disfigurement caused by a failed mastoid operation in his boyhood during WWII in the Netherlands, in which he also lost hearing in his right ear.
Soon after arriving in Canada, a plastic surgeon performed a pioneering, 8-hour operation that restored some symmetry to his face, but sadly this was undone when the original (mastoid) condition recurred in the late 1980’s and another operation was required.
But Henri, a born raconteur, was steadfast. He persevered with sharing and giving teachings despite this disability.
In 1972 while living with Natasha in Morocco and on the island of Madeira, Henri created his opus, the “Organiverse Portfolio” – a series of 100 mandalas in pointillism, each 8.5 cm in diameter. Dot by dot, “atom by atom”.
Later, back in the Rocky Mountains 1980-85 where Natasha worked at The Banff Centre, Henri embarked on a new series in watercolour, “Spatial Rhythms” and gave a solo exhibition at the Peter Whyte Gallery.
Meanwhile the ‘Organiverse Portfolio’, took on a life of its own. In 1975 it had been made into a 35mm film and represented Canada at several international film festivals. In 2005 a limited-edition portfolio of the Organiverse was followed in 2007 by a handheld set, with each mandala on an individual card, contained in a box made from recovered west coast wood.
Henri was actively creative until the very end. Recently Organiverse took on yet another form, a digital video production of the 100 mandalas joined with poems by Rabindranath Tagore’s “Gitanjali”, produced and narrated by friend Brian W.E. Johnson.
van Bentum’s work evokes organic processes of the macrocosmic and microcosmic levels, reminding viewers “what lies above, so below”. This led NASA’s public outreach program of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory to launch an online exhibit, “Coloring Space”.
The exhibit juxtaposed images of space with a selection of Henri’s paintings. Friend and astronaut Chris Hadfield called the project “a lovely fusion of science and art”. While Chris was Commander of the International Space Station, he took along a memory stick containing all 100 mandalas.
Henri was a prolific writer and correspondent with friends around the world. Following a diagnosis of bladder cancer in 2015, Henri wrote five children’s stories, all illustrated by Arizona friend P.J. Heyliger.
He was an intrepid world traveller, having been to all seven continents. These travels were undertaken on a shoestring budget. Henri’s mode of travel ranged from foot, bicycle, donkey, camel, jeep, bus, train, freighter and passenger ship to dingy, dug-out canoe, dive boat, sailboat, to Piper Cub and helicopter.
Henri circumnavigated the globe three times in the company of his partner of 51 years, Natasha, and was a proud member of the Circumnavigators Club. He was also a snooker aficionado, a passion he continued to practice into his 90s at the Union Club, with its heritage Billiards Room, winning a trophy six years ago.
Throughout his rich and varied life, Henri continued to share and give widely. He embodied the motto of his hometown Amsterdam: “Valiant, Steadfast, Compassionate” (Heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig).
Along with his lifelong partner, Natasha van Bentum, Henri also leaves behind step-daughter Melissa Hall Torre of New York State, daughter Maya Ehses of Haida Gwaii, step-brother Bruce G. Davis of Victoria, and in Europe, nephews W.A. Harder and Carel van Bentum.
A memorial gathering will be held mid-August in Victoria at a location to be decided.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
54 Responses
I was saddened to hear of Henri’s passing. I had known him since the 60s when he was taking Spanish language lessons from my grandmother. We saw each other periodically through the years most recently when he stayed at my house in Puerto Vallarta. Conversations with Henri were always stimulating and varied. We carried on a lively and memorable correspondence via email while I was in Vallarta which Henri likened to a tennis match with thoughts and ideas being tossed from one to the other. Fortunately I was able to connect with him again after returning to Canada. It was exciting to see his latest project featuring the poems of Tagore and his mandalas. Henri was a good and true friend, kind and generous and I shall always be grateful to have known him.
Dear Natasha,
I feel only glad and happy that we finally managed to meet in 2018 and spend such a wonderful week in Victoria with you and Henri. Henri had such a wonderful life and so many stories to tell which for me was so interesting. His life as a painter is something special and I will always remember him by some of the paintings on my wall and the beautiful present he gave to me on my birthday. His knowledge on the football in Europe was quit extraordinary and his love of Manchester City will always be special to me.
Henri van Bentum was a proud Union Club member, and the Union Club was proud to have Mr. van Bentum on the membership roster.
From the point of becoming a member in early 2005, Mr. van Bentum’s impact was immediate. Starting with his “From Landscape to Innerscape” retrospective exhibition covering 45 years of his work in September 2005; to his winning the Spring Snooker Tournament in January 2015; to his donating the quintet collection of his wonderful children’s books between 2017-2019, Mr. van Bentum’s contributions to the Union Club were immense.
Similar to how TIME Magazine once said, “The brightness that leaps from his canvasses is like crystals seen through a microscope”, the brightness of Mr. van Bentum’s personality and presence will be missed.
One of the Greats! Larger than life, humble , kind, and filled with integrity. “Head in the sky, feet on the ground. “
I had the privilege to pray with Natasha and other dharma sisters soon after his passing. Henri had a slight smile , the room was filled with a warm glow, and his presence was strongly felt. To me, he looked angelic. Softness and strength. This experience has altered my view of the death process.
Too much to say here. Thank you , Henri, for the honour and pleasure of being a close friend, (not to mention the hundreds of gourmet meals you offered me). You live on through your amazingly beautiful Natasha and all the incredible work you have gifted the world. Onwards!
What a rich and amazing life Henri had. He will be missed by so many, and there is no greater tribute to a life well lived than that.
Walter en Ingrid Harder
Lelystad (Flevoland) Europe
Aunt Natasha; our condolences on the loss of your husband Henri van Bentum.
Only your body has been taken from us, not who you were, the beautiful memories will remain forever. Such as your special kind of humor. We found your blog, in 2007, on internet and sent you a letter by email. After almost 40 years we came over to you and Aunt Natasha in Victoria. We were received very hospitably and were given an extensive Victoria tour and a trip by boat (Coho) to America. At the short time that we were in Victoria, we were able to learn a lot. We are still very grateful for that. Henri was a perfectionist, painter, book writer, snooker champ and a world traveler. He has seen the whole globe together with Natasha. Everywhere he went he knew the way. Henri knew his time would come and prepared in his own way. But what he always said, I’m not complaining because I’ve had a beautiful life. And so he left us, but in our thoughts he will remain with us forever. Henri deserves a nice place in heaven, rest in peace my dear Uncle.
We thank Aunt Natasha and Uncle Henri for being family.
What a remarkable man Henri was! I had looked him up online a few years ago and was very impressed by his artistic accomplishments. His obituary added much more to his life story. We are so very sorry for your loss.
Jennifer and I befriended Henri in the late sixties when we became students of the Ven. Ananda Bodhi, later Namgyal Rinpoche. We shared many good moments together at that time. We admired Henri’s art and his philosophy of art. When we knew him, he was an imposing figure, larger than life it seems, and utterly charming.
We extend our sincere condolences to you at this time. His memory lives on in us and we’re sure that our good wishes will help him in the bardos.
With warmth and affection, Jim Heller
Dear Natasha,
What a remarkable and inspiring life Henri lived! And what a remarkable life the two of you shared together. I feel grateful to have known and worked with you, Natasha, and to have heard about your adventures with Henri first-hand. May the wonderful memories of your life together provide some comfort during this sad time. With love, Rosemary
On behalf of the historic Circumnavigators Club, I would like to offer our sympathy for the loss of distinguished Circumnavigator Henri. He was a faithful supporter of the Club’s mission to make the world a better place through friendship and understanding. He left the world better than he found it. He will be missed.