HAROLD TOWN 100 has been extended to November 30th.
The Christopher Cutts Gallery is proud to present “Harold Town 100,” celebrating the centenary year of the artist’s birth. This exhibition features 100 pieces, surveying various series developed by Town throughout his career. The show is accompanied by a dedicated solo booth at Art Toronto, Booth #C60, and an installation in the fair’s lounge.
Harold Town 100 includes pieces ranging from an early self-portrait from the 1940s to stand-out examples of key series, including his vibrant mid-century gestural abstract oils and collages, small technically virtuosic ink-on-paper pieces from the early 1960s, larger Tyranny of the Corner paintings, and later works such as his Snap paintings and Stages series.
Born on June 13, 1924, Harold Town would have been 100 this year. He was a seminal figure in 20th century Canadian art —a formidable painter, accomplished draughtsman, revolutionary printmaker, and member of the abstract collective Painters Eleven. Town rose to fame in the 1950s-60s with record-breaking sales, international exhibitions, and his controversially bold personality. He represented Canada at the Venice Biennale in 1956 and 1964.
According to Christopher Cutts, “Harold Town was a generational talent. He was extraordinarily gifted and, of all the postwar Canadian artists, the most versatile. Town proved that Canada could produce innovative art that is relevant on the international stage. His work has a timeless quality. It’s hard to pin it down to a particular period in history.
Today, it’s so easy to forget the important Canadian figures of the past. There’s a kind of cultural amnesia that takes over. Now Harold Town is ripe for rediscovery. This 100th-birthday celebration is a chance to introduce him to a new generation. It’s hard not to be impressed when you see everything he was able to do. Through the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, Town earned record prices for a living Canadian artist. He is a painter with a proven place in Canadian cultural history.”
Harold Town 100 is a landmark exhibition and historical celebration that remembers Town for his critical achievements, prolific practice, iconic personality, and unequivocal contributions to Canadian arts and culture.
The centennial celebrations include an exhibition at another Toronto gallery, Caviar20. About the collaboration, Shelley Town, Harold Town’s daughter, says, “I am so excited that we are able to present two simultaneous shows by two respected Toronto gallerists. They come from different generations, but they both feel strongly connected to Harold’s art. It shows the work’s appeal to both seasoned and new collectors.”
