Exhibition opens Thursday November 13 and continues until November 27, 2025
About the Exhibition
Widely known for his distinctive landscapes, Onley created many watercolours and prints depicting the northern Canadian landscape.
Onley created landscapes in the Canadian tradition, influenced by Asian art. Icebergs, trees, water and coasts are prominent features of these artworks. He also painted abstractly, particularly during the 1960s when he produced his Polar series.
About the Artist
Toni Onley was born in 1928 on the Isle of Man and was educated in England and Mexico.
He made his first trip to the Arctic in 1974 and later published Onley's Arctic: Diaries and Paintings of the High Arctic.
A recipient of the Order of Canada, Onley published Toni Onley's British Columbia: A Tribute (Raincoast, 1999) and an autobiography, Flying Colours: The Toni Onley Story (Harbour Publishing, 2003).
Onley died on February 29, 2004 in a single-plane accident when he crashed his plane into the Fraser River while presumably practicing landings and take-offs.
Toni Onley's art is featured in several prominent collections, including:
Vancouver Art Gallery, BC
Art Gallery Greater Victoria, BC
Winnipeg Art Gallery, MB
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto ON
Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen's University, Kingston ON
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa ON
Musée d'art contemporain, Montreal QC
Seattle Museum of Fine Arts, Washington
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Museum of Modern Art, New York City, NY
Tate Gallery, London, UK
Victoria and Albert Museum, London UK
