Boyce Benge was born in the small town of Statesville, NC on March 12, 1929. Boyce’s story is long, encompassing time in the Navy in the ’50’s, drinking with Pollock and other ‘bad boys’ in Greenwich Village in the ’60’s and a lengthy apprenticeship with a guru in the ’70’s. In 1991. Boyce received a prestigious Pollock Krasner Grant for his text based paintings. After a year spent traveling, he settled in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where he dedicated himself to several spiritual communities. For over forty years, Boyce painted every day.
He died on January 17, 2016. He was 87 years old and a light in the lives of many people. Recently, the Friends Historical Library added ten of Boyce’s paintings to their archive. Find out more about The Friends Historical Library and sign-up below for news and information about Boyce’s art. His paintings tell the story of the love he found in all that inspired him in this world. He wanted us all to keep looking.