About Harold Town

The most famous Canadian artist of his time, Harold Town was celebrated for his wide-ranging talent and his bold, brash personality. He was known for praising his own genius, sparring with his critics and living an unconventional, bohemian lifestyle. Town was a central figure in Painters Eleven, the Toronto collective that helped introduce abstract art to Canada in the 1950s. His work was shown at the Venice Biennale in 1956 and 1964, and during the 1960s his prints were acquired by the Guggenheim and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Earning record prices for a living Canadian artist, Town socialized with the cultural elite and gained renown as a writer, raconteur and media personality. He proved that Canada could produce innovative art that is important on the international stage – bringing new confidence and sophistication to the Canadian art scene.

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