Harold Town

Happy Lunar New Year to all who celebrate! 🐎

We’re welcoming the Year of the Horse with a distinctive Harold Town work from our collection.

A founding member of Painters Eleven, Town (1924–1990) is known for his bold abstractions and energetic, highly graphic compositions. But after receiving an antique rocking horse as a gift, he turned toward something more intimate and playful. The simple form became a surprising source of inspiration; one he returned to again and again throughout his later career.

Across dozens of variations in ink, gouache, and acrylic, Town explored the rocking horse with curiosity and invention, transforming a familiar object into a study of movement, line, and personality. This series stands apart from his more iconic abstract work, revealing a quieter, more exploratory side of his practice that feels especially fitting as we celebrate a year symbolizing strength, vitality, and forward momentum.

📸 Harold Town, Untitled (Toy Horse), 1982, technical pen and ink on paper, Gift of the Estate of Harold Town, 2006

Harold Town passing on the Christmas tree gene to his youngest daughter, Shelley, 1967. Photo by John Reeves.

This weekend!

Harold Town 100 - 100 Years 100 Pieces - now on until Nov. 16 at Christopher Cutts Gallery Toronto.
Harold Town Centennial celebrations continue at Cutts Gallery's booth at Art Toronto Oct.25, 26 & 27. And at Caviar20 until Nov. 2

HAROLD TOWN CENTENNIAL: NOW OPEN at Caviar20
Dupont Street Gallery: SAT: 11-5
Online: 24 Hours