I’m so sorry to learn that sculptor Doug Bentham died on July 20th. I had the absolute pleasure of visiting him to gather the background for what would be the Saskatoon HOME article this spring about his home and life’s work. It was such a wonderful day as he drove me around on his ATV to check out his studio and the outdoor sculpture garden. We explored his studio collection and we talked about all his plans for future work. A lovely man. He was so intent on telling me how his late wife Bonnie influenced his work, and how important his little cat was to him. He was sending me emails about various subjects including cat stories this spring; my favourite was the lyrics to The Cat Came Back, and I loved that he and Bonnie had cats called Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer (who died at 23). In my work as a HOME magazine writer, I am so blessed to be able to meet such wonderful and unique people. So long, Doug. Thank you for making time for me.
Here is the memoriam posted by the Art Placement Gallery for Doug 1947-2026:
We are deeply saddened to share news of the passing of renowned Saskatoon sculptor Douglas Bentham on July 20th. His public sculptural works have become an iconic and inseparable part of Saskatoon’s urban landscape; every resident of the city knows Doug’s work whether or not they know his name. For nearly six decades he maintained an international reputation as a major practitioner of abstract, constructivist sculpture. “He is one of the country’s most prolific sculptors,” art critic and former museum director Terry Fenton wrote about Doug, “one of its finest, one of Canada’s first sculptors in every sense.”
Douglas Bentham graduated with a BA Advanced degree in painting from the University of Saskatchewan in 1969. He returned to complete an MFA in sculpture in 1989. He contributed to many international artist workshops throughout his decades-long career, including the Emma Lake Artists’ Workshop; the Triangle Artists’ Workshop in upstate New York; and the Hardingham Sculpture Workshop in Norfolk, UK. Working in a variety of mediums including steel, stainless steel, bronze, brass, and wood, he produced sculptures in scales that ranged from monumental to intimate and hand-held. He exhibited nationally and internationally with more than fifty solo exhibitions across Canada, and his works can be found in many private, corporate, and public collections.
Doug’s artistic spirit inflected every aspect of his life. He lived every day with the same passion and purpose that he brought to his art, as a husband, father, friend, and community member. As a supporter of the arts and other artists, he contributed to organizations like CARFAC and informally mentored others in the community. He was also a great friend to countless other artists in the city and beyond, a proud father and grandfather, and a devoted husband to his wife Bonnie, who he lost just last May after more than six decades together. He loved her more than anything and together they built a successful art enterprise, home, and loving family. Our hearts go out to Megan and Luke, and to all of Doug and Bonnie’s family and friends.
First and foremost, Doug was an artist. One of the most driven, dedicated, unrelenting artists you might ever have met. His need to create was insatiable. If he wasn’t in the studio, he was always looking, thinking, and planning. There was a restlessness in the way he worked and existed, a yearning to always be better, to always move forward. It is no surprise that Doug achieved the level of acclaim that he did. He was talented, no doubt, but more than that he also had the work ethic, ambition, and persistence to succeed. He was uncompromising, did nothing in half measures. He was his own harshest critic, always working and never content to sit still or stagnate. He was particular, meticulous, detail-oriented, and satisfied with nothing less than perfection.
Though he is best known as a sculptor, Doug also excelled in printmaking, drawing, and painting. He was both well read and a gifted writer. He was a landscape designer and an amateur architect; his final project was the accessible house that he designed for himself and Bonnie, a stunning home beautifully sited in the prairie landscape that they sadly only got to enjoy together for a brief time. He was a collector of art, but also of numerous other collectibles including, but not limited to, Doukhobor furniture, Navajo textiles, antique silent movie posters, folk art, handmade milk stools, and vintage Airstream camper trailers!
It was an honour to know and work with Doug over the last thirteen years. We had the pleasure of mounting two exhibitions of his work at the gallery in that time. Studio visits were always a treat. His spacious studio was a sculptor’s paradise brimming with a lifetime of artistic accomplishments. Doug was also a regular visitor to the gallery until health issues sidelined him over the last several years. Through it all, he never relinquished. He continued pushing forward, fighting each new challenge with the same fortitude and tenacity that he brought to his art and every other aspect of his life. In the end, it was too many battles on too many fronts. We will miss him, but we will continue to be inspired by the way he lived his life with creativity, passion, and feeling. And we will always be thankful for the beauty he brought into the lives of so many others through his art.
Karin Melberg Schwier 