Gershon Iskowitz
Encyclopedia
Gershon Iskowitz was born in Kielce
, Poland, on November 21, 1921. He began as an expressionist painter who dealt with figurative subjects and later painted the Canadian landscape in an abstract expressionist style.
. He became bored and began drawing. After a year and a half he begged his father, Shmiel Yankl, to be allowed to return home and was given permission to do so. He was tutored in Polish and placed in a public school. He was bullied at school and left after two and a half years. His father set up a small studio area for him in their home and allowed him to spend his time drawing and painting. At the age of nine he exchanged original art posters for free admission to a local cinema.
in 1939. But war broke out before he began classes so he had to return to Kielce and was put to forced labour. In September 1943 the Kielce Ghetto was burned. Gershon and his brother, Yosl, were sent to Auschwitz.
Gershon painted or drew at night only after every one else was asleep. He said "Why did I do it? I think it kept me alive. There was nothing to do. I had to do something in order to forget the hunger. It's very hard to explain, but in the camp painting was a necessity for survival." He was transferred to Buchenwald in the fall of 1944. Near the end of the war he tried to escape but was seriously wounded. After the April 11 liberation of Buchenwald he was sent to recuperate in hospitals for about nine months.
From January to May 1947 he attended the Academy of Fine Arts Munich and had private study with Oskar Kokoschka
who painted in intense expressionistic style.
In 1952 he attended Artist's Workshop, Toronto (until 1959–60)and began sketching trips to Markham and Uxbridge.
He stopped painting scenes from his past in the mid 50's and turned to the Canadian landscape for his models. A major change in his painting style occurred in 1967 when a Canada Council grant permitted him to view the northern landscape from a helicopter. His painting became explosions of colour and light.
In 1954 he had his first exhibition with the Canadian Society of Graphic Artists. He also did some part-time teaching at McKellar Lake.
He moved to his own studio on Spadina Avenue, Toronto.
In 1964 he became associated with Gallery Moos, where he had many one-man exhibitions.
Gershon said "there was that period after '65 for a while when people would say, 'Do you still paint?' and I'd say, 'Yes, yes, I still paint.' And they'd say painting is dead, you know. Or if they didn't say that they'd say, 'Why don't you use acrylics?' Well, I tried them, but I stayed with oils, and the watercolours I'd been doing since I was a kid. It doesn't matter what you use, it matters how you use it."
In 1982 Gershon was honoured by the AGO with a forty year retrospective of his work. A subset of the exhibition was put on display in London, England. Gershon said [painting] "... is just an extension of myself. It's a plastic interpretation of the way I think. You reflect your own vision. That's what it's all about. Art is like evolution and life, and you've got to search for life, stand on your own feet and continue. The only fear I have is before starting to paint. When I paint, I'm great, I feel great."
In gratitude for the value that artistic grants had given to his career he established the Gershon Iskowitz Foundation in 1985. Its mandate was to award the annual Gershon Iskowitz Prize, in association with the Canada Council in 1986 and 1987, of $25,000 to mature artists. The Foundation awarded the prize on its own from 1988 to 2006. It then partnered with the AGO in 2007 to award this prize as the winner would then receive an exhibition at the AGO.
On January 26, 1988 Gershon Iskowitz died in Toronto, Ontario.
Kielce
Kielce ) is a city in central Poland with 204,891 inhabitants . It is also the capital city of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship since 1999, previously in Kielce Voivodeship...
, Poland, on November 21, 1921. He began as an expressionist painter who dealt with figurative subjects and later painted the Canadian landscape in an abstract expressionist style.
Early life
At the age of four he was sent to the Chachmei Lublin YeshivaChachmei Lublin Yeshiva
Founded by Rabbi Meir Shapiro, the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva, , was an important centre for Torah study in Poland.-History:On May 22–28, 1924, the cornerstone laying ceremony took place for the construction of the yeshiva building. Approximately 20,000 people participated in the event.The opening...
. He became bored and began drawing. After a year and a half he begged his father, Shmiel Yankl, to be allowed to return home and was given permission to do so. He was tutored in Polish and placed in a public school. He was bullied at school and left after two and a half years. His father set up a small studio area for him in their home and allowed him to spend his time drawing and painting. At the age of nine he exchanged original art posters for free admission to a local cinema.
Internment during WW II
He registered at the Academy of Fine Arts in WarsawAcademy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw is a public university of visual and applied arts located in the Polish capital. The Academy traces its history back to the Department of Arts founded at the Warsaw University in 1812. As a separate institution it was founded in 1844 during the Partitions of Poland...
in 1939. But war broke out before he began classes so he had to return to Kielce and was put to forced labour. In September 1943 the Kielce Ghetto was burned. Gershon and his brother, Yosl, were sent to Auschwitz.
Gershon painted or drew at night only after every one else was asleep. He said "Why did I do it? I think it kept me alive. There was nothing to do. I had to do something in order to forget the hunger. It's very hard to explain, but in the camp painting was a necessity for survival." He was transferred to Buchenwald in the fall of 1944. Near the end of the war he tried to escape but was seriously wounded. After the April 11 liberation of Buchenwald he was sent to recuperate in hospitals for about nine months.
From January to May 1947 he attended the Academy of Fine Arts Munich and had private study with Oskar Kokoschka
Oskar Kokoschka
Oskar Kokoschka was an Austrian artist, poet and playwright best known for his intense expressionistic portraits and landscapes.-Biography:...
who painted in intense expressionistic style.
Life in Canada
Gershon's first application to move to Canada was rejected because he had a limp. "Always when my life was in danger," Iskowitz found "I did a drawing and pulled through." He reapplied and drew a picture for the bureaucrat in immigration. The fellow declared Gershon a genius, predicted a great future for him in Canada, approved his emigration application and said that Gershon would have special privileges on the voyage to his new home. Thus in 1949 he emigrated to Canada to stay with some relatives living in Toronto.In 1952 he attended Artist's Workshop, Toronto (until 1959–60)and began sketching trips to Markham and Uxbridge.
He stopped painting scenes from his past in the mid 50's and turned to the Canadian landscape for his models. A major change in his painting style occurred in 1967 when a Canada Council grant permitted him to view the northern landscape from a helicopter. His painting became explosions of colour and light.
In 1954 he had his first exhibition with the Canadian Society of Graphic Artists. He also did some part-time teaching at McKellar Lake.
He moved to his own studio on Spadina Avenue, Toronto.
In 1964 he became associated with Gallery Moos, where he had many one-man exhibitions.
Gershon said "there was that period after '65 for a while when people would say, 'Do you still paint?' and I'd say, 'Yes, yes, I still paint.' And they'd say painting is dead, you know. Or if they didn't say that they'd say, 'Why don't you use acrylics?' Well, I tried them, but I stayed with oils, and the watercolours I'd been doing since I was a kid. It doesn't matter what you use, it matters how you use it."
In 1982 Gershon was honoured by the AGO with a forty year retrospective of his work. A subset of the exhibition was put on display in London, England. Gershon said [painting] "... is just an extension of myself. It's a plastic interpretation of the way I think. You reflect your own vision. That's what it's all about. Art is like evolution and life, and you've got to search for life, stand on your own feet and continue. The only fear I have is before starting to paint. When I paint, I'm great, I feel great."
In gratitude for the value that artistic grants had given to his career he established the Gershon Iskowitz Foundation in 1985. Its mandate was to award the annual Gershon Iskowitz Prize, in association with the Canada Council in 1986 and 1987, of $25,000 to mature artists. The Foundation awarded the prize on its own from 1988 to 2006. It then partnered with the AGO in 2007 to award this prize as the winner would then receive an exhibition at the AGO.
On January 26, 1988 Gershon Iskowitz died in Toronto, Ontario.
Works in public collections in Canada
Over the years, many public art galleries have acquired, through purchase and donation, works by Gershon Iskowitz. In addition, in 1995 in celebration of the Prize’s 10th Anniversary the Foundation donated over one hundred and forty paintings and works on paper to many of these same institutions. The works have been included in major exhibitions and many are exhibited as part of the Permanent Collections of these institutions.| Institution | City | Province |
|---|---|---|
| Agnes Etherington Art Centre | Kingston | ON |
| Art Gallery of Greater Victoria | Victoria | BC |
| Art Gallery of Hamilton | Hamilton | ON |
| Art Gallery of Nova Scotia | Halifax | NS |
| Art Gallery of Ontario | Toronto | ON |
| Art Gallery of Peterborough | Peterborough | ON |
| Art Gallery of Windsor | Windsor | ON |
| Art Gallery of York University | Toronto | ON |
| Beaverbrook Art Gallery | Fredericton | NB |
| Carleton University Art Gallery | Ottawa | ON |
| Confederation Centre of the Arts | Charlottetown | PEI |
| Edmonton Art Gallery | Edmonton | AB |
| Glenbow Museum | Calgary | AB |
| Justina M. Barnicke Gallery at Hart House University of Toronto |
Toronto | ON |
| Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery | Kitchener | ON |
| Leonard and Bina Ellen Art Gallery Concordia University |
Montreal | QC |
| London Regional Art and Historical Museums | London | ON |
| Macdonald Stewart Community Art Centre | Guelph | ON |
| MacKenzie Art Gallery | Regina | SK |
| MacLaren Art Centre | Barrie | ON |
| McMaster Museum of Art | Hamilton | ON |
| McMichael Canadian Art Collection | Kleinberg | ON |
| Montreal Museum of Fine Arts | Montreal | QC |
| Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, UBC | Vancouver | BC |
| Musée d'art de Joliette | Joliette | QC |
| Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec | Québec | QC |
| Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art | | Toronto | ON |
| National Gallery of Canada | Ottawa | ON |
| Nickle Arts Museum | Calgary | AB |
| Owens Art Galler Mount Allison University |
Sackville | NB |
| Robert McLaughlin Art Gallery | Oshawa | ON |
| Rodman Hall Arts Centre | St. Catharines | ON |
| The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery | St. John’s | NFLD |
| University of Lethbridge Art Gallery | Lethbridge | AB |
| University College University of Toronto |
Toronto | ON |
| Vancouver Art Gallery | Vancouver | BC |
| Winnipeg Art Gallery | Winnipeg | MA |
One-man exhibitions
The following table summarizes Iskowitz's one-man exhibitions:| Year | Venue | City | Prov / State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960-1 | Here and Now Gallery | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1961 | YMHA | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1963 | Dorothy Cameron Gallery | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1964 | Gallery Moos | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1966 | Gallery Moos | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1967 | Waterloo University | Waterloo | Ontario |
| 1967 | Gallery Moos | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1969 | Gallery Moos | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1970 | Gallery Moos | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1971 | Gallery Moos | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1973 | Hart House | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1973 | Gallery Moos | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1973 | Rodman Hall Arts Centre | St. Catharines | Ontario |
| 1972 | Galerie Allen | Vancouver | British Columbia |
| 1974 | Gallery Moos | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1975 | Glenbow-Alberta Institute | Calgary | Alberta |
| 1975 | Gallery Moos | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1976 | Owens Art Gallery Mount Allison University |
Sackville | New Brunswick |
| 1976 | Canadian Art Galleries | Calgary | Alberta |
| 1976 | Gallery Moos | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1977 | Martha Jackson Gallery | New York | New York |
| 1977 | Art Gallery of Nova Scotia | Halifax | Nova Scotia |
| 1977 | Gallery Moos | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1978 | Gallery Moos | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1979 | Thomas Gallery | Winnipeg | Manitoba |
| 1979 | Gallery Moos | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1979 | Gallery Moos | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1980 | Robertson Galleries | Ottawa | Ontario |
| 1981 | Gallery Moos | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1982 | Art Gallery of Ontario Forty Year Retrospective |
Toronto | Ontario |
Group exhibitions
| Year | Venue | City | Prov / State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Modena | Italy | |
| 1947 | Paris | France | |
| 1947 | Munich | Germany | |
| 1957 | Isaacs Gallery | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1957 | Hayter Gallery | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1958 | Jordan Gallery | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1959 | Gallery Moos | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1964 | Winnipeg Biennial | Winnipeg | Manitoba |
| 1965 | xxvith Canadian Biennial, National Gallery of Canada |
Ottawa | Ontario |
| 1966 | Winnipeg Biennial | Winnipeg | Manitoba |
| 1967 | Ontario Centennial Art Exhibition, traveling exhibition throughout Ontario organized by the Province of Ontario |
Various | Ontario |
| 1970 | 'Eight Artists from Canada', Tel Aviv Museum |
Tel Aviv | Israel |
| 1971 | Man and His World | Montreal | Quebec |
| 1972 | xxxvi International Biennial Exhibition of Art | Venice | Italy |
| 1972 | 'Toronto Painters 1953–65,' National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario and the Art Gallery of Ontario |
Toronto | Ontario |
| 1973 | 'The Canadian Canvas,' traveling exhibition organized by Time Canada |
Various | Canada |
| 1977 | 'Seven Canadian Painters', Canada Council Art Bank, traveling exhibition |
Various | New Zealand and Australia |
| 1978 | 'A Toronto Sensibility,' .The Art Gallery at Harbourfront |
Toronto | Ontario |
| 1979 | 'Now and Then,' Factory 77 | Toronto | Ontario |
| 1979 | 'Compass/8 Painters,' The Art Gallery at Harbourfront |
Toronto | Ontario |
| 1980 | 'Contemporary Canadian Art,' Nabisco World Headquarters Reception Gallery |
East Hanover | New York |
| 1980 | 'A Selection of Canadian Paintings,' The Art Gallery at Harbourfront |
Toronto | Ontario |
| 1980 | 'The Staff Collects – An Experiment,' paintings from the Shell Collection, The Art Gallery at Harbourfront |
Toronto | Ontario |
| 1981 | 'Other Places, Other Painters; Canadian Contemporary Art, ' Sir George Williams Art Gallery, Concordia University |
Montreal | Quebec |
| 2007 | Thielsen Gallery | London | Ontario |
| 2010 | Horton Gallery | New York | New York |
Winners of the Gershon Iskowitz Prize
| Year | Artist | City |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Michael Snow Michael Snow Michael Snow, CC is a Canadian artist working in painting, sculpture, video, films, photography, holography, drawing, books and music.-Life:... |
Toronto |
| 2010 | Brian Jungen Brian Jungen Brian Jungen is a Canadian artist from British Columbia with Swiss and Dunne-za First Nations ancestry... |
Vancouver |
| 2009 | Shary Boyle Shary Boyle Shary Boyle is a Canadian artist who works with sculpture, painting, drawing and performance. She lives in Toronto.- Early life and education :... |
Toronto |
| 2008 | Françoise Sullivan | Montreal |
| 2007 | Mark Lewis Mark Lewis (artist) Mark Lewis in Hamilton, Ontario is a Canadian artist. Noted for his film installations, Lewis represented Canada at the 2009 Venice Biennale.-Biography:... |
London, England |
| 2006 | Iain Baxter& | Windsor |
| 2005 | Max Dean | Toronto |
| 2004 | Rodney Graham Rodney Graham Rodney Graham is an artist and musician born in Abbotsford, British Columbia. He is most often associated with the Vancouver School... |
Vancouver |
| 2003 | Janet Cardiff Janet Cardiff Janet Cardiff is a Canadian installation artist. Born in Brussels, Ontario in 1957 Cardiff studied at Queen's University where she graduated in 1980. She also studied at the University of Alberta and graduated in 1983. She works in collaboration with her partner George Bures Miller. Cardiff and... and George Bures Miller George Bures Miller George Bures Miller is a Canadian artist noted for his collaborative works with wife Janet Cardiff. Miller and Cardiff represented Canada at the 2001 Venice Biennale... |
Guelph |
| 2002 | Geoffrey James | Toronto |
| 2001 | John Massey | Toronto |
| 2000 | Paterson Ewen Paterson Ewen Paterson Ewen was an important Canadian painter, born in 1925 in Montreal, Quebec. He attended McGill University from 1946-47 where he studied geology, and fine arts with John Goodwin Lyman... |
London |
| 1999 | Stan Douglas Stan Douglas Stan Douglas is an artist based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has exhibited internationally, including Documenta IX, 1992, Documenta X, 1997, Documenta XI, 2002 and the Venice Biennale in 1990, 2001 and 2005... |
Vancouver |
| 1998 | Shirlery Wiitasalo | Toronto |
| 1997 | Ron Moppett | Calgary |
| 1996 | Murray Favro Murray Favro Murray Favro is a Canadian sculptor who lives in London, Ontario. Favro has designed many guitars. As a member of the Nihilist Spasm Band, he concentrates has occasional forays in percussion. He is represented by the Christopher Cutts Gallery in Toronto.... |
London |
| 1995 | Betty Goodwin Betty Goodwin Betty Roodish Goodwin, OC was a Canadian printmaker, sculptor, painter, and installation artist.- Early life :... |
Montreal |
| 1994 | Eric Cameron Eric Cameron Eric Cameron is a Canadian artist living in Calgary, Alberta known for his conceptual works.He was educated at the University of Durham, and the Courtauld Institute. His earlier works include the “Process Paintings” produced with masking tape grids and often brightly coloured, mostly from the... |
Calgary |
| 1993 | Vera Frenkel | Toronto |
| 1992 | Irene F. Whittome Irene Whittome Irene F. Whittome, is a Canadian multi-media artist.Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, she attended the Vancouver School of Art. She then spent five years studying printmaking at the Atelier 17 of Stanley William Hayter... |
Montreal |
| 1991 | Arnaud Maggs Arnaud Maggs -Biography:Arnaud Maggs is a Canadian artist and photographer. Born in Montreal, he lives in Toronto. Maggs is best known for stark portraits arranged in grid-like arrangements.... |
Toronto |
| 1990 | Jack Shadbolt Jack Shadbolt Jack Leonard Shadbolt, OC, OBC was a Canadian painter.-Early life:Born in Shoeburyness, England, Shadbolt came to Canada with his parents in 1912... |
Vancouver |
| 1989 | Gathie Falk | Vancouver |
| 1988 | General Idea General Idea General Idea was a collective of three Canadian artists, Felix Partz, Jorge Zontal and AA Bronson, who were active from 1967 to 1994.As pioneers of early conceptual and media-based art, their collaboration became a model for artist-initiated activities and continues to be a prominent influence on... |
Toronto and New York |
| 1987 | Louis Comtois | Montreal |
| 1986 | Denis Juneau Denis Juneau Denis Juneau is a Canadian painter and a leading figure in the Canadian plasticien movement.-Biography:Juneau was born in Montreal in 1925... |
Montreal |