Gershon Iskowitz
Gershon Iskowitz was born in Kielce, Poland, on November 21st, 1921 [1]. He has been called an expressionist and later an abstract expressionist painter, but he always claimed that he painted what he saw. He never saw a painting until after the end of WWW II yet he began to draw at the age of four. He had little formal education and, with the exception of a six month association with Oskar Kokoschka, was virtually a self taught artist.
"The Jewish environment in the Tsarist Pale of Settlement from the end of the eighteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth was one long series of economic, cultural, political and economic oppression. These deprivations had deep effects on the physical, spiritual, and emotional life of the people." [2]
Early Life [3]
He was named for the famous Rabbi Gershon of Chęciny with the hope that he would follow in his footsteps. Thus at the age of four he was sent to the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva. All the children's activities took place in the same big rooms. This constant noise greatly disturbed Gershon. 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. However the principal was the secretary of a right wing anti-semitic party - Narodowa Demokracja. Thus Gershon was often bullied at school. He only lasted two and a half years at the school. This pattern of disconnection with educational institutions continued throughout his life.
At the age of nine he offered to exchange original art posters for free admission to one week night screening and the six hour Saturday matinee at a local Jewish Cinema. The cinema owner agreed. Twice a week Gershon would take his sister, Devorah, to the movies. The owner of the second Jewish cinema asked for posters as well. This time Gershon charged a fee. After purchasing art supplies and ice cream he turned the balance over to his father.
Internment during WW II
This file may be deleted at any time.
He registered at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw in 1939. But war broke out and he was forced to return to Kielce and put to forced labour. In September of 1943 the Kielce Ghetto was liquidated. Gershon and his brother, Yosl, were sent to Auschwitz. The rest of his family was sent to Treblinka where they perished.
Gershon painted or drew at night only after every one else was asleep as this was a forbidden activity. 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." [4] He was transferred to Buchenwald in the fall of 1944. Near the end of the war he tried to escape but was shot in the knee and broke his hip. After the April 11th liberation of Buchenwald he was sent to recuperate in hospital. Unable to walk for about a year he painted and drew.
From January to May of 1947 he attended the Academy of Fine Arts Munich and had private study with Oskar Kokoschka. He was expelled from the Academy for sneaking into a life drawing class instead of doing the still life projects assigned him. His defence was that he ate fruit and drank from bottles (the still life subjects) but drew people. He was reinstated at the school.
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 returned and reapplied when the Canadian bureaucrat was drunk and drew him a picture. 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. [5]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.
In 1953 Gershon gave an art class in still life at [Holy Blossom Temple]]. But his students requested a life painting class. So he brought in Georgette Culot, a model. But her disrobing upset his conservative students. Then Iskowitz said to his model, "Georgette, please put your clothes back on - this is a holy place."
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.'[6]
In 1982 Gershon was honoured by the AGO with a forty year retrospective of his work.[7] 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."[8]
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.[9]
On January 26th, 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.[10]
| 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[11]
| 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. Catherines | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Brian Jungen | Vancouver |
| 2009 | [|Shary Boyle] | Toronto |
| 2008 | [|Françoise Sullivan] | Montreal |
| 2007 | Mark Lewis | London, England |
| 2006 | Iain Baxter | Windsor |
| 2005 | Max Dean | Toronto |
| 2004 | Rodney Graham | Vancouver |
| 2003 | Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller | Guelph |
| 2002 | Geoffrey James | Toronto |
| 2001 | John Massey | Toronto |
| 2000 | Paterson Ewen | London |
| 1999 | Stan Douglas | Vancouver |
| 1998 | Shirlery Wiitasalo | Toronto |
| 1997 | Ron Moppett | Calgary |
| 1996 | Murray Favro | London |
| 1995 | Betty Goodwin | Montreal |
| 1994 | Eric Cameron | Calgary |
| 1993 | Vera Frenkel | Toronto |
| 1992 | Irene F. Whittome | Montreal |
| 1991 | Arnaud Maggs | Toronto |
| 1990 | Jack Shadbolt | Vancouver |
| 1989 | Gathie Falk | Vancouver |
| 1988 | General Idea | Toronto and New York |
| 1987 | Louis Comtois | Montreal |
| 1986 | Denis Juneau | Montreal |
Paintings Online
[|National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa]
[|University of Lethbridge Art Collection]
[|Miriam Shiell Fine Art, Toronto]
Bibliography[12]
| Year | Author | Title | Subtitle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Davenport, Ray | Davenport's Art Reference: | The Gold Edition |
| 2005 | AskART.com Inc. - Dunbier, Lonnie Pierson (Editor) |
The Artists Bluebook | 34,000 North American Artists to March 2005 |
| 2001 | Westbridge, Anthony R. and Diana L. Bodnar |
The Collector's Dictionary of Canadian Artists at Auction |
|
| 1991 | Lerner, Loren R; Mary Williamson |
Art and Architecture in Canada: |
A Bibliography and Guide to the Literature to 1981 |
| 1990 | Burnett, David; Dr. Shirley L. Thomson (Foreward) |
Masterpieces of Canadian Art: | From the National Gallery of Canada |
| 1989 | Burnett, David | Ciniplex Odeon The First Ten Years |
A Celebration of Contemporary Canadian Art |
| 1988 | McMann, Evelyn de R. | Montreal Museum of Fine Arts- Spring Exhibitions 1880-1970 |
(Formerly Art Association of Montreal) |
| 1988 | Reid, Dennis | A Concise History of Canadian Painting |
(Second Edition) |
| 1986 | Jaques Cattell Press | Who's Who in American Art- 1986 |
1986 |
| 1982 | Burnett, David | * Iskowitz | (Art Gallery of Ontario) |
| 1982 | Freedman, Adele | Gershon Iskowitz-Painter of Light |
|
| 1978 | Fenton, Terry; Karen Wilken |
Modern Painting in Canada: | Major Movements in Twentieth Century Canadian Art |
| 1976 | Jaques Cattell Press | Who's Who in American Art, 1976 |
12th Edition |
| 1974 | MacDonald, Colin, S. | A Dictionary of Canadian Artists |
(8 Volumes) |
| 1970 | Townsend, William | Canadian Art Today | |
| 1966 | Kilbourn, Elizabeth; Frank Newfeld |
Great Canadian Painting: A Century of Art |
References
- ^ Gershon Iskowitz: Painter of Light, by Adele Freedman, Merritt Publishing Company Limited, 1982, ISBN 0-920866-16-7
- ^ Yiddish Folksongs from the Ruth Rubin Archive, edited by Chana Mlotek and Mark Slobin, published in 2007 in cooperation with the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, ISBN 978-0-8143-3258-0, p. xii
- ^ Catalogue of an exhibition held at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ont., Jan. 23-Mar. 7, 1982, and other museums. Curated by Burnett, David. ISBN 9780919876828
- ^ artscanada, Gershon Iskowitz by Peter Mellen, October/November 1971
- ^ Gershon Iskowitz: Painter of Light, by Adele Freedman, Merritt Publishing Company Limited, 1982, ISBN 0-920866-16-7 p. 61
- ^ http://www.ccca.ca/c/writing/h/hale/hale001t.html |Barrie Hale artscanada # 176/177, Feb. / March 1973
- ^ Iskowitz, David Burnett, Catalog of a traveling exhibition which opened at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Jan. 23, 1982. ISBN 978-0919876828
- ^ Griselda Bear, Visual Arts Officer, Canadian High Commission, London, January 1983
- ^ Nancy Hushion, Executive Director, Gershon Iskowitz Foundation
- ^ Nancy Hushion, Executive Director, Gershon Iskowitz Foundation
- ^ Catalogue of an exhibition held at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ont., Jan. 23-Mar. 7, 1982, and other museums. Curated by Burnett, David. ISBN 9780919876828
- ^ [|Askart.com Iskowitz Bibliography]