Gifted: Donations from the Ontario Society of Artists showcases the work by members of the Ontario Society of Artists (OSA). In 2007, the group donated 39 works to the Government of Ontario Art Collection.
Dynamic and contemporary, the works were given by 37 of the society’s members. They include watercolours, oil and acrylic paintings, photographs and drawings representing a wide variety of subject matter and styles.
Above: A Harmony in Grey and Yellow, 1897 by Mary Augusta Hiester Reid, OSA. Oil on canvas, 34.3 x 90.2 centimetres. Government of Ontario Art Collection, Archives of Ontario 619739.
The OSA has a long and impressive history of encouraging, supporting and promoting the province’s visual arts community. Founded in Toronto in 1872 by seven artists, the society’s goal was to provide better public access to art and art education. Its first exhibition was held in 1873 and featured 252 works by 22 artists. More than 5,000 people attended the inaugural exhibition.
A strong link between the society and the provincial government was formed at the 1873 exhibition when the government made some of its first art purchases there. Well over 200 years later, works from the OSA are finding homes in the Government of Ontario Art Collection.
Gifted is curated by the Archives of Ontario’s Outreach Officer Stewart Boden, and runs until Oct. 12 in the Helen McClung Exhibit Area at the Archives of Ontario building on York’s Keele campus.
Members of the York University community are invited to view the exhibit. The Archives is open Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm, Tuesday and Thursday to 8pm, and Saturday, from 10am to 4pm.
For more information, visit the Archives of Ontario website.