Harold Town (1924-1990) was a very important Canadian painter, draughtsman and printmaker. He was born in Toronto and studied at the Western Technical School and the Ontario College of Art. He exhibited widely, holding over 100 one-man shows beginning in 1954. His vast body of work comprises paintings, etchings, lithographs, collages, drawings and works in other media. He was a founding member of Painters Eleven, the group of artists who helped to introduce Canadians to abstract art in the 1950’s. This group of Toronto abstract expressionist painters which included Jack Bush and William Ronald took their cues from contemporary post-war American artists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothe, and Willem de Kooning. Throughout his career he remained a focus of controversy for his original artwork, flamboyant public persona and outspoken opinions.
Town gained international recognition for his technically inventive "single autographic prints" which he made from 1953 to 1959. They won awards in Ljubljana (Yugoslavia) and Santiago (Chile), were acquired by the Solomon Guggenheim Museum and the Museum of Modern Art (both New York City), and led Alfred Barr of the latter museum to consider Town one of the world's greatest printmakers.
Collections: AGF Management Limited, Art Gallery of Hamilton, Art Gallery of Ontario, Canada Council Art Bank, Cineplex Odeon Corporation, Coopers & Lybrand, Imperial Oil of Canada, Imperial Life Assurance Company of Canada, London Regional Art Gallery, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Montreal Museum of Art, New York, National Gallery of Canada, Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, Sarnia Public Library and Art Museum, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, University of Lethbridge Art Gallery, Vancouver Art Gallery.
