ARTISTS /

Harold Feist (Canadian, 1945 – )

The spokes and colour veils have become the most recognizable characteristics of Harold Feist’s work. He utilizes consistent aesthetic formulas to create pieces which become individual, in that they reflect the circumstances from which they are realized. Feist’s work is a visual diary of the painter’s own artistic life. Each piece embodies elements of lyricism, determination, and harmony, relevant to the moment in which they are created. 

Born in 1945 in San Angelo, Texas, Feist obtained his BFA (honours) at the University of Illinois in 1967. From there, he enrolled in the masters program at the Maryland Institute, College of Art in Baltimore, following in the footsteps of one of his biggest artistic influences, Morris Louis. In 1969, he completed his MFA. Harold went on to teach painting, drawing, art history and art appreciation, at various institutions, including the College of Art in Baltimore, the Alberta College of Art, the University of Regina, and the University of Guelph.

Feist has had numerous solo exhibitions throughout Canada and the United States, and is represented in the permanent collections of the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Boston Museum of Fine Art. Some of the artists who influence and have been influenced by Feist during his own career, include Helen Frankenthaler, Kenneth Noland, Larry Poons, and Jack Bush. Feist’s work has consistently been supported by New York-based art critic, Clement Greenberg, who famously spent many years backing the career of mid-century abstract expressionist, Jackson Pollock.

Harold Feist currently resides in Toronto where he continues to work as a painter.

"Humour is in large part context and staging and Feist’s work has long been associated with the kind of earnest post-painterly abstraction in acrylic paint that celebrates painting’s formal qualities. The genre evolved through the 80s to embrace various matting agents and gels to mitigate the nasty plastic sheen of thick acrylic and add texture, countering acrylic paint’s tendency to flatten out. Over this period, no one mastered acrylic cuisine better than Feist."

 - John Armstrong, Canadian Art, Winter 2006

Harold Feist

Born 1945, San Angelo, Texas. Resides in Toronto

Education:

M.F.A. (Hoffberger Fellow), Maryland Institute, College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland, 1969
B.F.A. (Honours), University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, 1967

Solo Exhibitions:

Group Exhibitions:

2007 “Harold Feist: Works on Paper and Canvas”,  Art Gallery of Algoma,  Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
2004 “Douglas Haynes and Harold Feist”, Gallery One, Toronto
2001 “Clement Greenberg: A Critic’s Collection”, Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon
2001 “Triangle Workshop Artists at OCAD”, Ontario College of Art, Toronto
1999-2000 “Abstraction: A Curator’s Choice”, Art Gallery of Algoma, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
1999 "Abstraction Now”, Gallery One, Toronto 
1988 "Curator's Choice: A Ten Year Retrospective -- Feist, Drapell, Sutton", Buschlen-Mowatt Gallery, Vancouver
1986 "Toronto 3", Eva Cohon Gallery, Highland Park, Illinois
1985 "Abstraction X Four", Canada House, Canadian High Commission, London - toured Europe
1984 "The Hines Collection", University Place, Boston
1984 "15 Canadians from the Art Bank Collection", National Arts Centre, Ottawa
1983 Gallery One, Toronto
1982 "Selections from the Westburne Collection", Edmonton Art Gallery
1980 "The New Generation: A Curator's Choice" (Kenworth Moffett), Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, toured Europe and U.S.
1980 Gallery One, Toronto
1979 "25 Canadians", Birmingham Arts Festival, Alabama
1978/79 "Certain Traditions: Recent British and Canadian Art", Edmonton Art Gallery, toured G.B. and Canada
1977 Waddington Galleries, Montreal
1977, 78 Waddington Galleries, Toronto
1977 "Abstract Art Now", Edmonton Art Gallery
1975-77 "Painting in the West: Emma Lake and After", National Gallery of Canada (toured Canada)
1975-78 "Major Saskatchewan Artists", Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon (toured)
1975 "Abstract Art On Paper", Edmonton Art Gallery (toured)
1975 "Western Canadian Painting", Edmonton Art Gallery
1974-76 "The Canadian Canvas", Time/Life (toured Canada)
1974 "Prairies '74", Edmonton Art Gallery
1974 “Western Canadian Painting", the Bronfman Centre, Montreal
1974 Espace 5 Gallery, Montreal
1974/75 "Canada X Ten", Edmonton Art Gallery (toured Canada)
1973 "Art Bank Exhibition", Canadian Cultural Centre, Paris, France
1973 Gallerie de l'Art, Paris, France
1973 "Alberta '73", Edmonton Art Gallery (award).
1973 "Elliott and Feist: Paintings On Paper", Peter Whyte Gallery, Banff, Alberta
1973 "Elliott, Feist, and Sen", the Pyrch Building, Edmonton
1972-74 "Survey of Canadian Art Now", Burnaby Art Gallery, Burnaby, B.C.
1972 "12th Calgary Graphics Exhibition", A.C.A. Gallery, Calgary
1971 to 73 "6th Burnaby Print Show", Burnaby Art Gallery, B.C.
1971 "West '71", Edmonton Art Gallery (Award, toured)
1971 "Canadian Print and Drawing Show", Canadian Society of Graphic Arts, Toronto
1971 "11th Calgary Graphics Exhibition", A.C.A. Gallery, Calgary
1971 "Environment '71", Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary
1970 "All-Alberta Exhibition", Edmonton Art Gallery
1970 4-Man Show, Allied Arts Centre, Calgary
1969 "Environment '69", Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary
1968 Maryland Regional Exhibition, Baltimore Museum of Art
1966 "Central Illinois Open Exhibition", Champaign, Illinois, (Award)

Publications:

Roald Nasgaard, “Abstract Painting in Canada”, Douglas and McIntyre, 2008
John Armstrong, “Harold Feist”, CanadianArt,  Winter 2006
Loren R. Lerner, “Art and Architecture in Canada”, Iniversity of Toronto Press, 1991
Cliff Eyland, “Atque Ars”,  Owens Art Gallery, Mount Allison University,  Sackville, NB, 1989
Karen Wilkin, "Harold Feist: Genesis of an Image", catalogue for Agnes Etherington Art Centre exhibition, 1988.
Karen Wilkin, "Harold Feist: Genesis of an Image", Artpost, Spring 1988.
Gary Michael Dault, "Paint", Canadian Art, Fall 1984
Mary-Beth Laviolette, "Dennis Evans, Harold Feist, and Helen Sibelius", Vanguard, Summer 1984.
The Royal Gazette (Bermuda), Oct.6, 1982, "Wheels of Good Fortune".
Karen Wilkin, "Harold Feist" Artmagazine, Feb/Mar/Apr., 1982
Terry Fenton, "Surprises 1981--the Year in Review", UPDATE, (Edmonton Art Gallery publication), 1981.
Lelde Muehlenbachs, "One of the Best Abstractionists", The Edmonton Journal, March 20, 1981.
Karen Wilkin, "International Feature: the New Generation: A Curator's Choice", Artmagazine, May/June, 1981.
Rene Micha, "Lettre de Paris", Art International, Spring, 1981.
Corinne Mandel, "Harold Feist", Artscanada, Mar/Apr., 1981.
Karen Wilkin, "The Late-Blooming Vitality of Toronto Art", Artnews, 1981.
Roald Nasgaard, "Prairies '74", Artscanada, Dec., 1974.
Karen Wilkin, "Three Painters", Artscanada, Oct/Nov., 1972.
Dennis Elliott, "The 12th Annual Calgary Graphics Exhibition", Artscanada, Autumn 1972.
Karen Wilkin, "A Report from the West", Art in America, May/June, 1972.

Represented By:

Gallery One, Toronto
Scott Gallery, Edmonton


Collections:

Abitibi Price, Toronto
Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston, Ont.
Alberta Art Foundation
Alberta College of Art, Calgary
Alcan (Secal-Alcan Ltd.), Montreal
Almar Industries, Toronto
Ari Gasunisen Fine Art, Toronto
Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton, Ont.
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
Art Gallery Of Peterborough, Peterborough, Ont.
Art Gallery of Windsor, Windsor, Ont.
Baycrest Centre Foundation, Toronto
Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, N.B.
Bellair Cafe/Consortina Inc., Toronto, Ont.
Burt Kanter Art Enterprises, Highland Park, Illinois
C. Gaines & Associates, Toronto
Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, Ont.
Canadian Commercial Bank, Calgary
Canadian Institute, Toronto
Canrealco Equities Inc., Montreal
Carelton University Gallery, Ottawa
Chiovitti Banana Co., Toronto
Coca-Cola Ltd., Toronto
College Town, Braintree, Mass.
Counsel Trust, Toronto
D. A. Williams Investments, Toronto
Dalfeu Associates, Montreal
David Feldman & Associates, Willowdale, Ont.
Dawsco Capital Corp., Toronto
Design Collections, Toronto
Dresdner Bank, Toronto
Dupont Canada Inc., Toronto
Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton
Edmonton Law Courts Building. Edmonton
Esso Resources Canada, Calgary, Alberta
First City Capital, Toronto
First City Development, Markham, Ont.
First Marathon Realty, Toronto
First Marathon Securities, Toronto, Ont.
Firsturban, Montreal
Francine Management, Toronto
Fromm Development Corp., Toronto
G.C.F. Office Services, Goodman & Carr, Toronto
General Motors, Detroit
General Woods & Veneers, Mississauga, Ont.
GFI Inc., Montreal
Goldfarb Consultants, Toronto
Goldfarb, Shulman, & Wilner, Don Mills, Ont.
Goodman & Goodman, Toronto
Goodman and Carr Law Offices, Toronto
Guaranty Trust, Toronto
Hines Collection, Cambridge, Mass.
Imperial Oil, Toronto
J.M.S.C. Holdings, Markham, Ontario
Keyano College, Alberta
Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery , Kitchener, Ont.
Koffler Gallery, North York
Labelad, Markham, Ont.
Lantic Sugar, Montreal
Lapointe Rosenstein. Montreal
Lemark Holdings, Toronto
London Drugs, Vancouver
Lonte Ebers Fine Art, Toronto
M.D.C. Group, Toronto
Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, Guelph
Mathers Oil & Gas, Austin, Texas
Mcintosh Gallery, University of
Western Ontario, London
McMaster Museum Of Art, Hamilton
Melnik & Saunders, Toronto
Memorial University of Newfoundland Arts, Newfoundland
Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Sask.
Menkes Development, Willowdale, Ont.
Mercantile Bank of Cathay, Toronto
Milrad and Agnew, Toronto
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
National Victoria & Grey Trust, Stratford, Ont.
New Brunswick Art Foundation, Fredericton, N.B.
Northern Telecom Ltd., Toronto
Oakville Galleries, Oakville, Ont.
Office Elan Office Services, Toronto
Ontario Die Co., Waterloo, Ont.
Ontario Medical Association, Toronto
Owens Art Gallery, Sackville, N.B.
Peat Marwick & Co., Edmonton
Penny-Lynn Grosman Associates, Toronto
Portland Art Museum, Oregon
Praedium Holdings, Toronto
Prudential Bache, Toronto
Rachlin & Wolfson, Toronto, Ont.
Reitmans Inc., Montreal
Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa
Roberts/Drabinsky, Toronto
Rollins-Raeburn Interior Design, Toronto
Rothmans, Don Mills, Ont.
Royal Bank of Canada, Royal Bank Plaza, Toronto
Rubinovitch, Newton, Back and Strom, Toronto
S.S. Kresge Foundation, Detroit
Saffer Advertising, Toronto
Security Trust, Toronto
Seymona Investments Ltd., Toronto
Sharon Nelson Art Enterprises, Toronto
Shell Canada Resources, Calgary
Shelley Lambe Fine Art, Toronto
Sitzer and Sitzer, Don Mills, Ontario
Smith, Lyons, Torrance, Stephenson, & Mason, Toronto
Southam Inc., Toronto
Steelecase, Don Mills
Syndex Holdings Ltd., Toronto
Tanderman Research, Toronto
Thorne, Ernst, Whinney, Toronto
Trion International Enterprises, Vancouver
Twin Rock Holdings, Toronto
University of Alberta, Edmonton
Valenart & Associates, Toronto
Warnaco of Canada, Prescott, Ont.
Weber Brothers Corp., Edmonton
Westburne Industries, Montreal
Wilson Medical Centre, Toronto
Wolf Advertising, Toronto
Wycombe Investments, Toronto
Xerox Canada Inc., North York
Young Warren Food Brokerage Ltd., Toronto