May 8 – June 20, 2026
Celebrating 120 Years of Abstract Art: 1906-2026
Main Gallery
Opening Reception: Friday May 8th, 7 – 9 pm *
Free admission
Abstract Art @ 120 (1906–2026) – The Rationale
The year 2026 marks the 120th anniversary of abstract art. In recognition of this milestone, Harcourt House’s curatorial team has developed an ambitious series of exhibitions under the banner Abstract Art @ 120.
While Czech-born Frantisek Kupka (1871–1957) and Russian-born Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) are often cited as pioneers of abstraction, Swedish artist Hilma af Klint (1862–1944) may rightfully claim that distinction. She completed her first abstract paintings in 1905–1906, predating both artists by five years. Our commemorative programming acknowledges her groundbreaking contributions to the development of abstract art.
The Background
In recent critical writings on the state of contemporary art – and contemporary painting in particular – several art critics and historians have proclaimed the demise of abstract painting and sculpture, viewing abstraction as an exhausted offshoot of an outdated modernist tradition. Indeed, after its heyday from the 1950s through the mid-1980s, abstract art was briefly relegated to the background, as revived figurative practices took center stage in North America and Europe. Today, however, we are witnessing a “renaissance” of abstract art and a resurgence of abstract ideas, offering a renewed formal and conceptual vocabulary through the bold reemergence of pure abstraction.
In Western Canada, this revival is especially evident in the painting and sculpture of both emerging and established artists, demonstrating the continued vitality of abstraction in Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Vernon, and Vancouver. This renaissance – particularly in the work of Alberta-based artists – would not have been possible without the strong foundation abstraction enjoyed from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s, especially in Edmonton, and the sustained support of the city’s arts and academic institutions.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Edmonton established a national reputation as a Canadian center for abstract art – particularly acrylic painting and steel sculpture – and as a laboratory for the exploration of formal purity. Painters such as Douglas Haynes, Seka Owen, Ann Clarke, Giuseppe Albi, Bruce Dunbar, Graham Peacock, Mitch Smith, Robert Scott, Phillip Darrah, and David Cantine, along with sculptors including Peter Hide, Alan Raynolds, Catherine Burgess, Isla Burns, and Ken Macklin, became prominent figures in the history of abstract art in Alberta and Canada, receiving critical recognition both nationally and internationally. It is worth noting that many of these artists – who later played a pivotal role in establishing what became known as the “School of Formalism” in Edmonton- received their training at the Alberta College of Art in Calgary. Their willingness to engage with the broader art world enabled Alberta’s abstract painters and sculptors to experiment freely and refine their practices.
Frequent visits to Alberta by influential American critics and curators such as Clement Greenberg and Kenworth Moffett, as well as prominent British and American artists including Anthony Caro, Darryl Hughto, Jules Olitski, Walter Darby Bannard, Michael Steiner, and Stanley Boxer, further strengthened this development. These exchanges helped situate Alberta’s abstract artists within an international context and deepened their awareness of how their work resonated globally. Similarly, the seminal workshops at Emma Lake in Saskatchewan and the Triangle Artists’ Workshops in upstate New York contributed significantly to this cross-cultural dialogue. The Edmonton Art Gallery (now the Art Gallery of Alberta), together with the Department of Art and Design at the University of Alberta, also played a crucial role in supporting artists’ activities. Under the joint leadership of Terry Fenton and Karen Wilkin, the Edmonton Art Gallery provided a vital critical forum for abstract painters and sculptors through its ambitious exhibition programming and acquisitions policy.
The Exhibition Project
Abstraction Now – Harcourt’s Practitioners of Abstract Art + Guest Artists
This exhibition brings together Harcourt’s abstract painting practitioners, highlighting diverse approaches – particularly colour-field and lyrical abstraction, and minimalist practices – within the Edmonton context. Influenced by modernist ideals and aesthetics, this local movement associated with the Edmonton School of Formalism emphasized bright colour, gestural abstraction, as well as minimalist and geometric forms. Featured artists include Scott Cumberland, Darren Kooyman, Carla Lam, Sheila Luck, Mitchel Smith, and Wiz Wensel.
Their work is presented alongside a select group of established abstract artists from Edmonton and Calgary working in sculpture and painting: Catherine Burgess, Peter Hide, and Seka Owen. Notably, Hide and Owen were associated with the Edmonton School of Formalism and the Edmonton Contemporary Artists’ Society (ECAS). All three artists are also members of the prestigious Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA).
Jacek Malec
Exhibition Curator
*Opening Recetions are for Members and Guests
