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William Kurelek: Jewish Life in Canada

April 12, 2022 - July 3, 2023

William Kurelek

Jewish Life in Canada

Ongoing through July 3, 2023

About the Exhibition

William Kurelek (1927–1977) is a beloved figure in Canadian art, a revered Ukrainian Canadian painter whose works express his deeply felt immigrant experience and his compassionate vision of humanity. Many of his richly detailed, jewel-toned works reflect memories of his hardscrabble childhood in Manitoba, others his sometimes apocalyptic ruminations on a darkening world.

His suite of paintings titled Jewish Life in Canada was made to honour his friendship with the Toronto art dealer Avrom Isaacs, who offered the artist a framing job at his gallery before discovering his employee’s remarkable creative gifts. A devout Roman Catholic, Kurelek intended Jewish Life in Canada as a gesture across the cultural divide, implicitly demonstrating his open-mindedness toward Canadians of cultural and religious backgrounds different from his own. 

William Kurelek (1927–1977), Jewish Doctor’s Family Celebrating Passover in Halifax, 1975.

Virtual Curatorial Talk

Wednesday, April 19
at 7 pm

William Kurelek (1927–1977), Jewish Immigrants Arriving on the Prairies, 1975.

William Kurelek (1927–1977), Jews in the Clothing Business in Winnipeg, 1975, mixed media on board, 40.6 × 71.1 cm, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Photo: Michael Cullen, Dunnville, Ontario, © Estate of William Kurelek, courtesy of the Wynick / Tuck Gallery, Toronto

William Kurelek (1927–1977), Jewish Wedding in Calgary, 1975.

Details

Start:
April 12, 2022
End:
July 3, 2023
Event Categories:
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Venue

10365 Islington Ave
Kleinburg, Ontario L0J1C0 Canada
Phone:
1(905) 893-1121
View Venue Website