Tom Thomson Art Gallery Exhibitions

A small exhibition showcasing highlights of the Gallery's Collection of Tom Thomson works.

The Tom Thomson Art Gallery celebrates the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Group of Seven

An artistic alliance, the members of the Group of Seven were bound by their desire to record the Canadian geography in a new and distinctive way. They shunned prevailing European painting conventions and honed a fresh style that has become uniquely recognizable.

Although Tom Thomson died in Algonquin Park three years before the formation of the Group, his shared vision and camaraderie left a lasting impression on them. Some of these artists honoured that bond by donating their time and artwork to support the establishment of the Gallery in Owen Sound as a memorial to Thomson in the 1960s. Complemented by gifts of art from private collectors, and supplemented by a few acquisitions made possible through financial donations, the Gallery has assembled a nationally significant collection of artwork by Tom Thomson and members of the Group.

Showcasing the Gallery’s impressive collection, The View from Here takes you on a visual tour across the country as experienced by the Group. Using Toronto as their home base, they made short excursions to the countryside and rural villages to sketch. Becoming more adventurous, the painters followed Thomson to Algonquin Park and Georgian Bay. Later, the artists would journey to Algoma and Lake Superior, Quebec, the Maritimes, the Rockies, and the Arctic, in search of inspiration.

More than just captivating artworks, the paintings, prints, and drawings represent tangible connections between the members of the Group and Owen Sound, the legacy of community donors, and the importance of the Gallery’s collection within the larger Group of Seven story. The View from Here offers an intimate, local perspective on the artists that helped shape the Nation.

Curated by David Huff, Curator of Collections, Tom Thomson Art Gallery
with assistance from Joan Hawksbridge and Emily Dykeman

Image Credit: Lawren Harris, Pic Island, 1925, oil on canvas. Gift of the Estate of Jennings David Young, 1999. Collection of the Tom Thomson Art Gallery.

Alan Glicksman’s work exemplifies what happens when a doodle transcends the margins of mindless scrawl into the realm of a full-fledged artistic obsession. For over 40 years the artist has been dedicated to a practice of mark-making that has culminated in a prolific number of drawings, paintings, and sculptures which exalt and explore his process. He regards his work as an extension of his experiences and individually, each piece is like a journal entry that forms an autobiographical narrative

Glicksman’s process is to begin each piece with a single mark and build the image intuitively until an overall sense of harmony is achieved. What emerges are richly layered and bold graphic compositions that pulsate with frenetic energy. Part-animal, part-human hybrid creatures spring forward from his imagination and are combined with lines, shapes, symbols, and text. Although they possess the same carefree expressive qualities that are associated with children’s art, the works are permeated by evidence of deeper psychological tensions.

Image Credit: Alan Glicksman, You Will Feel Better (from the Stonehenge Series) (detail), oil on acrylic on arches paper, 22" X 30", 1994. Image courtesy of the artist.

Drawn In: A Selection of Works from the Gallery's Collection | October 24 - January 23, 2021

What is a drawing? Artists and scholars have had contentious debates over this question. Most would agree that line is a significant component, but drawings can be comprised of so much more.

Energized by this discussion, Joan Hawksbridge and David Taylor were invited to guest curate an exhibition on this subject, focusing on the 360 drawings by 80 artists in the Gallery’s Collection. Their selections vary in subject matter, material, and approach, highlighting the rich potential of the medium. While some of the drawings are preliminary studies, others were intended as finished works. Some have the quick, energetic markings of a sketch, while others reveal a slower evolution of form. Despite the diversity of methods, what unites these works is a sense of immediacy that is unlike other mediums. Drawings are often where an artist’s creative energy and imagination first find visual form.

While exploring the exhibition, we invite you to be drawn in by the unique qualities of each piece individually and to contemplate all of the compelling incarnations that a drawing can take.

Curated by Gallery volunteers Joan Hawksbridge and David Taylor

Image Credit: Jeremy Smith, Sisters, 1976. Ink on paper. Gift of Mira Godard, 2009. Collection of the Tom Thomson Art Gallery.