William Ronald
Encyclopedia
William Ronald, R.C.A. (August 13, 1926 – February 9, 1998) (born William Ronald Smith, was an important Canadian
painter, best known as the founder of the influential Canadian abstract art
group Painters Eleven
in 1954.
Ronald was a graduate of the Ontario College of Art who quickly found that abstract painters could not get their work exhibited in Toronto
galleries. Working for the Robert Simpson Co. department store, he persuaded management to pair abstract paintings with furniture displays, thereby discovering a way to get the public to accept non-representational art. Despite the success of the show, Ronald resented the city's general attitude toward its artists and moved to the United States
, eventually becoming an American citizen. Ronald shared a studio with Frank Stella
and joined the stable of artists at Manhattan
's Kootz Gallery. He was quickly accepted by critics and collectors and enjoyed a multi-year period of success. Eventually, Ronald returned to Toronto, partly for personal reasons and partly because he could not agree with Kootz.
Besides painting, he became known as a CBC
(Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) journalist, a columnist for the Toronto Telegram, and host of a Citytv
variety show. He continued to paint through the 1970s, '80s and '90s, moving to Montreal
, Quebec
, and then to Barrie, Ontario
where he maintained an active studio. He gained some notoriety for his portrait series of Canadian Prime Ministers, a pioneering non-representational portrayal of heads of government opened by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
in Toronto. The exhibition toured Canada, despite warnings not to exhibit the less than flattering portrait of then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
. They are currently part of the permanent collection of the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery in Kitchener, Ontario. Never a stranger to criticism or polemics, Ronald loved to paint in public, frequently hiring strippers and showgirls to dance around him as he painted. He continued to paint until his death in 1998 and in fact suffered a heart attack while painting. He lived long enough to name the work Heart Attack and succumbed a few days later.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
painter, best known as the founder of the influential Canadian abstract art
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
group Painters Eleven
Painters Eleven
Painters Eleven was a collective of abstract artists active in Canada from 1954 to 1960.-History:...
in 1954.
Ronald was a graduate of the Ontario College of Art who quickly found that abstract painters could not get their work exhibited 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...
galleries. Working for the Robert Simpson Co. department store, he persuaded management to pair abstract paintings with furniture displays, thereby discovering a way to get the public to accept non-representational art. Despite the success of the show, Ronald resented the city's general attitude toward its artists and moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, eventually becoming an American citizen. Ronald shared a studio with Frank Stella
Frank Stella
Frank Stella is an American painter and printmaker, significant within the art movements of minimalism and post-painterly abstraction.-Biography:...
and joined the stable of artists at Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Kootz Gallery. He was quickly accepted by critics and collectors and enjoyed a multi-year period of success. Eventually, Ronald returned to Toronto, partly for personal reasons and partly because he could not agree with Kootz.
Besides painting, he became known as a CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
(Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) journalist, a columnist for the Toronto Telegram, and host of a Citytv
Citytv
Citytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
variety show. He continued to paint through the 1970s, '80s and '90s, moving to Montreal
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...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, and then to Barrie, Ontario
Barrie, Ontario
Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, located on the western shore of Lake Simcoe, approximately 90 km north of Toronto. Although located in Simcoe County, the city is politically independent...
where he maintained an active studio. He gained some notoriety for his portrait series of Canadian Prime Ministers, a pioneering non-representational portrayal of heads of government opened by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
in Toronto. The exhibition toured Canada, despite warnings not to exhibit the less than flattering portrait of then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
. They are currently part of the permanent collection of the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery in Kitchener, Ontario. Never a stranger to criticism or polemics, Ronald loved to paint in public, frequently hiring strippers and showgirls to dance around him as he painted. He continued to paint until his death in 1998 and in fact suffered a heart attack while painting. He lived long enough to name the work Heart Attack and succumbed a few days later.
Selected exhibitions
- 1957-1960: Kootz Gallery, NYC
- 1960: Laing Galleries, Toronto
- 1963: Isaacs Gallery, Toronto
- 1962-1963: Kootz Gallery, NYC
- 1963: Princeton University Art Gallery
- 1965: David Mirvish Gallery, Toronto
- 1970: Dunkelman Gallery, Toronto
- 1971: Tom Thompson Memorial Gallery, Owen Sound, Ontario
- 1975: Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, Ontario
- 1977-1980: Morris Gallery, Toronto
- 1984: Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
- 1985: Musée d’art de Joliette, Québec
- 1996: Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto
- 2000: Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto
Selected collections
- Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
- National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
- Museum of Modern Art, NYC
- Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh
- Musée d’art de Joliette, Québec
- Guggenheim Museum, NYC
- Albright Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
- York University, Toronto
- Princeton University Art Gallery
- Whitney Museum of Art, NYC
- Agnes Etherington Art CentreAgnes Etherington Art CentreThe Agnes Etherington Art Centre is in Kingston, Ontario, Canada and is operated by Queen's University. The centre holds 12-15 exhibitions annually, as well as artists' talks and performances, public lectures, symposia, workshops, and school and family programs...
, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario - Brooklyn Museum, NYC
- Edmonton Art Gallery, Alberta
- Hirshhorn Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington
External links
- National Gallery of Canada (William Ronald)
- AskArt (William Ronald)
- Artfacts.net (William Ronald)
- Canadian Art Group (Painters Eleven)