Lawren Harris 1885-1970
Distinguished Canadian artist, Lawren Stuart Harris, was born in Brantford, Ontario in 1885. He was educated in Toronto and Germany, returning to work here in 1909. Harris was a patron and founding member of the Group of Seven, with fellow artists Frank Carmichael, A.Y. Jackson, Franz Johnston, Arthur Lismer, J.E.H. MacDonald and Frederick Varley. The Group of Seven first exhibited together in 1920 and formally disbanded in 1931. Harris helped to define a uniquely Canadian art, which the rugged beauty of Canada inspired.
Harris and Dr. James MacCallum erected the Studio Building on Severn Street (adjacent to this site) in 1913 to help artists 'concentrate their energies on making a Canadian statement in art in Canadian terms'. Harris painted in Toronto and the wilderness areas of Ontario, the Arctic and the west coast of Canada, and in the United States. His work was influenced by Impressionism, Art Nouveau and Abstraction and infused with spiritualism. He and his wife, Bess, settled in Vancouver in 1940. He died there in 1970.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Toronto Plaques. Full page here.