Harold Feist
(1945–)
(–2021)
Harold Feist
1945–2021
Harold Feist (1945–2021) was an abstract painter and visual artist known for his large-scale color field paintings created using acrylic and latex. Born in San Angelo, Texas, Feist relocated to Illinois with his mother and brother after his parents separated when he was ten years old. Initially pursuing architecture studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Feist discovered a passion for fine arts and obtained a BFA from the University of Illinois in 1967. He later pursued an MFA (Hoffberger Fellow) at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland in 1969. Throughout his education, Feist was influenced by prominent figures in the art world, such as painter Jules Olitsky and art critic Clement Greenberg. Feist’s expressive abstract paintings delved into the interaction between color, form, and texture.
After completing his masters degree, Feist relocated to Canada to pursue a teaching opportunity at the Alberta College of Art (now the Alberta University of the Arts) from 1969 to 1974. Subsequently, he held teaching positions at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick (1975-78), and the University of Guelph (1979-80). In 1988, his work was shown in a retrospective exhibition at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen's University. Feist passed away in 2021 at the age of 76 from a heart attack. His most recent exhibition was held at Gallery House in Toronto that same month.
Feist actively exhibited his work across Canada and the United States, and his art was also featured in various exhibitions held in Berlin, Lisbon, London, and Paris. His paintings can be found in various museums throughout Canada and the U.S. and in numerous private and corporate collections.