June 5, 2025 / Carly Ramsay

ALAN C. COLLIER FEATURE

Alan Collier (1911-1990) was born in Toronto. His art education included studies at the Ontario College of Art, under J. E. H. MacDonald and Franklin Carmichael. He graduated in 1933 and held a variety of jobs to allow him to go to New York and study at The Art Students League (1937-39). Some of his previous occupations included working as a miner, an advertising artist in New York (1939), an aircraft mechanic (1942), serving in the Canadian Army, the Artillery Survey, an advertising artist in Toronto (1946) and finally as a teacher at the Ontario College of Art (1955-67).

Roberts Gallery held solo exhibitions of Collier’s work from 1956 – 1996. Retrospectives of his work were held at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery (1971), the Royal Canadian Academy Gallery (1991) and the Ottawa Gallery (1998). His work is represented in numerous major public collections from coast to coast. Every summer from 1956 onward, he travelled across Canada with his wife, Ruth, and son, Ian. These sketch trips, where he painted mainly in oil but also in watercolour and ink drawing, were the basis of his studio canvas pieces that were produced for his exhibitions.