For one day only, Tom Thomson fans, art lovers and Algonquin Park enthusiasts will have the opportunity to view a newly authenticated painting by the legendary artist.
Following the success of last year’s display of two Thomson originals at the Algonquin Art Centre, the gallery began reaching out to private owners to find more originals to share with the public. Gallery manager Joel Irwin and curator Matt Coles were excited to not just find one, but one that may have never been on public display before.
It’s been owned privately by the same family for many years and until the owners were contacted by the art centre, it had never been formally authenticated.
“It wasn’t authenticated at that point and it wasn’t in Joan Murray’s catalogue—she is an art historian who has a comprehensive Tom Thomson catalogue online,” said Irwin. “So we reached out to (author) Roy MacGregor, who is a great friend of the gallery, and he directed us to David Silcox who is a really well-known Tom Thomson scholar and he is also involved with a lot of the auctions of Tom Thomson’s pieces.”
The gallery connected Silcox with the owner of the painting and on June 21 Silcox sent the gallery the news they’d been hoping for: in his opinion the painting is an authentic Tom Thomson.
The first clue the gallery had that the painting was authentic was its stamp. “When Tom Thomson died, J.E.H. MacDonald—he later became a member of the Group of Seven when they formed—designed a stamp,” said Irwin. That stamp was used to authenticate Thomson’s sketches, many of which remained unsigned when he died.
The painting is a late winter or early spring scene in muted colours depicting a valley with a dark, shadowy foreground and illuminated background, said Irwin. It’s a small piece—just 8 inches by 10 inches—indicating it was one painted in the park, and was perhaps intended for reference for a larger piece to be painted after Thomson returned to Toronto.
“The story of the painting still has to be told in terms of where it was and the date it was painted,” said Irwin, adding that Silcox thinks it was painted early in Thomson’s Algonquin Park career, likely 1912 or 1913.
It was an exciting experience for the gallery—it’s the first time it has been involved in authentication of a piece. “We had our own theories and it was really interesting to be involved in that side of things because usually they are already authenticated and we just hang them on the wall.” said Irwin. “But this was a case where we had to actively find the right people to look at it and authenticate it. It was awesome.”
And it will be an exciting experience for fans of Canadian art, too.
We believe that it hasn’t been publicly displayed for a long time and we’re not even sure that it’s ever been displayed. So for most people, this is the only opportunity they’ll ever have to see this one particular painting. And in this case, it’s a very unique experience to see an original Tom Thomson in the same place that inspired him to paint it and in the same place that he actually painted it.
Joel Irwin, Gallery Manager, Algonquin Art Centre
If you’d like to see what the painting looks like, you’ll have to visit the Algonquin Art Centre between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on July 8—its owner has requested that no image of it be posted online. That day coincides with the art centre’s Artists Day, where you’ll be able to meet some of the 40 artists that the gallery represents. There will also be other activities in conjunction with the Friends of Algonquin Park and Ontario Parks in honour of Algonquin Park’s 125th anniversary. Admission to the gallery is by voluntary donation; a valid Ontario Parks permit is required to enter the park and can be purchased at park entrances.
For more information about the Algonquin Art Centre, visit algonquinartcentre.com.
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