Oscar Cahén
Encyclopedia
Oscar Cahén was a Canadian painter and illustrator. Cahén is best known as a member of Painters Eleven
a group of abstract artists active in Toronto
from 1954-1960.
before escaping the Nazi occupation in 1938. A German citizen, he was interned in England in 1939 and sent to Canada in 1940 as an enemy alien. His artistic contacts in Canada secured his release in 1942, and he worked in Montréal
before moving to Toronto in 1944. Cahén worked as an illustrator for magazines such as Maclean's
, Chatelaine and New Liberty. In the late 1940s he met Walter Yarwood, Harold Town
and others involved in avant-garde art in Toronto and Cahén was included in the Abstracts at Home exhibition held in 1953 at the Robert Simpson Company, Toronto. He joined Painters Eleven when the group was formed later that year. In Canada's conservative art world their early exhibitions were met with disdain. Nevertheless, Painters Eleven attracted U.S. exposure with a successful exhibition, Twentieth Annual Exhibition of American Abstract Artists with "Painters Eleven of Canada in 1956, with the American Abstract Artists
at the Riverside Gallery in New York
, and were praised by the influential critic Clement Greenberg
on a visit he paid to Toronto in 1957. In the Canadian press, the group's most ardent supporter was art critic Robert Fulford. Cahén was killed in a car accident in 1956 and the group formally disbanded in 1960.
Painters Eleven
Painters Eleven was a collective of abstract artists active in Canada from 1954 to 1960.-History:...
a group of abstract artists active in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
from 1954-1960.
Biography
Cahén was trained in Europe and taught in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
before escaping the Nazi occupation in 1938. A German citizen, he was interned in England in 1939 and sent to Canada in 1940 as an enemy alien. His artistic contacts in Canada secured his release in 1942, and he worked in Montréal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
before moving to Toronto in 1944. Cahén worked as an illustrator for magazines such as Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
, Chatelaine and New Liberty. In the late 1940s he met Walter Yarwood, Harold Town
Harold Town
Harold Town was a Canadian abstract painter. He is best known as a member of Painters Eleven a group of abstract artists active in Toronto from 1954-1960. Town coined the name of the group, which was based simply on the number of artists that were present the first meeting...
and others involved in avant-garde art in Toronto and Cahén was included in the Abstracts at Home exhibition held in 1953 at the Robert Simpson Company, Toronto. He joined Painters Eleven when the group was formed later that year. In Canada's conservative art world their early exhibitions were met with disdain. Nevertheless, Painters Eleven attracted U.S. exposure with a successful exhibition, Twentieth Annual Exhibition of American Abstract Artists with "Painters Eleven of Canada in 1956, with the American Abstract Artists
American Abstract Artists
American Abstract Artists was formed in 1936 in New York City, to promote and foster public understanding of abstract art. American Abstract Artists exhibitions, publications, and lectures helped to establish the organization as a major forum for the exchange and discussion of ideas, and for...
at the Riverside Gallery in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and were praised by the influential critic Clement Greenberg
Clement Greenberg
Clement Greenberg was an American essayist known mainly as an influential visual art critic closely associated with American Modern art of the mid-20th century...
on a visit he paid to Toronto in 1957. In the Canadian press, the group's most ardent supporter was art critic Robert Fulford. Cahén was killed in a car accident in 1956 and the group formally disbanded in 1960.
Further reading
- Broad, Graham. "Art Shock in Toronto: Painters Eleven, The Shock of the New." The Beaver, Canada’s History Magazine Vol. 84:1 (2004)
- Buchanan, Donald W. "An Illustrator Speaks His Mind: An Interview with Oscar Cahén." Canadian Art 8, no. 1 (Autumn 1950): 2-8.
- Burnett, David G. and Marilyn Schiff. Contemporary Canadian Art. Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1983. ISBN 0888302428
- Dault, Gary Michael. "Oscar Cahén: In Search of Lost Fame." Border Crossings Vol. 23, No. 3 (2004): 61-63.
- Nasgaard, Roald. Abstract Painting in Canada. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2008. ISBN 1553653947
- Nickel, Karl. Oscar Cahén: First American Retrospective Exhibition. Sarasota: Ringling Museum of Art, 1968.
- Spalding, Jeffrey. Oscar Cahén, Past as Prologue. Halifax: Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, 2007.