York University
Art Collection Online

Harold Town (1924–1990), born in Toronto, was one of Canada’s most celebrated artists. His vast body of work comprises paintings, collages, drawings, and prints that create a dynamic dialogue between traditional artistic modes and the contemporary urban, technological environment.

Town’s practice is versatile, shifting between dark, expressionist style, and bright, abstract paintings. His view is shaped by the rapid postwar development of his hometown, Toronto, where Town played an important role in its emerging Abstract Expressionist movement. Town coined the name of the artist group “Painters Eleven” for their first group show at the Roberts Gallery in 1954. In 1956, Painters Eleven gained international attention for their American exhibition Twentieth Annual Exhibition of American Abstract Artists with "Painters Eleven" of Canada at the Riverdale Museum in New York.

Throughout his career, Harold Town has exhibited nationally and internationally. His work has been acquired by major institutions, such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the National Gallery of Canada. In 1956, Town represented Canada at the Venice Biennale along with Jack Shadbolt and Louis Archambault. In 1964, he represented Canada at the Venice Biennale again with Elza Mayhew. His work was also featured in the Sao Paolo Art Biennial in 1957 and 1961, and shown at Documenta III (1964) in Kassel, West Germany.