Ben Tobias was born in Montreal, Canada in 1901. In 1920 he was befriended by Canadian artist J E H MacDonald, a founder member of the artist’s group Seven, and for a short while they painted together in Toronto. In 1921 Tobias sailed for France, meeting Matisse, and other important painters, before continuing his extensive travels in America, Canada, much of Europe – including Germany and Britain – and South America. During his European years he sold the majority of his paintings to finance his upkeep and travels. In the 1940s he returned to America and held a solo exhibition at the Lilenfeld Galleries in New York, followed by a second solo show at the Art house of Philippe Reichenbach in 1948 (and a further solo show at Reichenbach’s Paris branch in 1962). In 1960 he returned to Europe and participated in a mixed show at the Leicester Galleries, London. In this period, he was a frequent visitor to the Ben Uri Gallery. He also exhibited in Sao Paulo, Brazil (1974). He died in Canada in 1985. His portrait of Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (1940s) is in the National Portrait Gallery, London.