Guided Tour: Denyse Thomasos FULL
Date: Oct 12
2:30 pm
- 3:30 pm
Where: Level 3 Art Gallery
One of the finest painters to emerge in the 1990s, the late Trinidadian-Canadian artist Denyse Thomasos (1964-2012) left an indelible, yet frequently overlooked, mark on contemporary painting.
Join Renée van der Avoird, Associate Curator, Canadian Art, Art Gallery of Ontario; Sally Frater, Curator of Contemporary Art, Art Gallery of Guelph; and Michelle Jacques, Head of Exhibitions and Collections / Chief Curator, Remai Modern for a guided tour of Denyse Thomasos: just beyond in our level 3 Art Gallery.
This is a free tour but a ticket is required. Please reserve your free ticket online or by calling (709)757-8090.
About the Artist:
Born in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, the acclaimed painter Denyse Thomasos was raised in Toronto and spent most of her professional career in Philadelphia and New York City. Thomasos earned a BA in Painting and Art History from the University of Toronto in 1987. She attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 1988 (Maine, US) and the following year completed her MFA in Painting and Sculpture, Yale School of Art, Yale University (Connecticut, US). Throughout her career, she attended various residencies, such as the Ucross Foundation Artist Residency in 2000, in Ucross (Wyoming, US) and the Bogliasco Foundation Artist Residency in 2003 (Genoa, Italy). She won numerous prestigious awards, including the Guggenheim Fellowship Prize in 1997; the Joan Mitchell Foundation award in 1998; and the New York Foundation for the Arts award in 2008; as well as grants from both the Canada Council for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Her work has been collected by private collectors, as well as major corporate and public institutions, including Rutgers University (New Jersey, US); Canada Council Art Bank (Ottawa, ON); Bank of Montreal (Toronto, ON); Banque Nationale du Canada (Montréal, QC); Art Gallery of Guelph (ON); Oakville Galleries (ON); the Hart House Collection at the University of Toronto (ON), and private collections throughout Canada and the United States. When Thomasos died tragically in 2012, she was at the height of her career, with major museum shows, a full professorship, New York and Toronto gallery representation, and many prestigious awards and residencies.
Image: Denyse Thomasos. Metropolis, 2007. Acrylic, charcoal, porous-point marker on canvas, unframed: 214 x 335.6 x 3.5 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Purchased with the assistance of the Toronto International Art Fair 2007 Opening Night Preview, and with the Financial Support of the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance Program, 2008. © The Estate of Denyse Thomasos and Olga Korper Gallery. 2007/241
Today's Events & Programs
Join us for an unforgettable afternoon with Gemma Hickey, renowned author, humanitarian, and architect of change.
Gemma does not simply tell stories; they move systems. From quiet rooms to global stages, grassroots movements to halls of power, Gemma’s voice has challenged governments, confronted the Catholic Church, and amplified the rights and recognition of marginalized communities worldwide. Their art and advocacy rise from lived experience, razor-sharp insight, and a wit that disarms even as it demands attention.
In this candid conversation, Gemma reflects on childhood, gender fluidity, and a life lived beyond the boundaries others tried to impose. Anchored by the enduring love of their Nan, these stories trace a powerful arc; from vulnerability to resilience, silence to truth, survival to change, and show how one voice, spoken without fear or apology, can echo far beyond the room, changing lives, laws, and futures at home and beyond.
The event includes a live audience Q&A. Includes admission to the exhibition Erica Rutherford: Her Lives and Works.
Tickets: $12 plus HST. Free for Rooms members. Get your tickets online or by calling 709-757-8090.