The Art Gallery of Alberta respectfully acknowledges that we are located in Treaty 6 Territory and Region 4 of the Metis Nation of Alberta. We respect this as the traditional and contemporary  land of diverse Indigenous Peoples including the Plains Cree, Woodland Cree, Beaver Cree, Nitsitapi/Blackfoot, Métis, Nakota Sioux, Anishinaabe/Saulteaux/Ojibwe and Dene Peoples. We also acknowledge the many Indigenous, Inuit and Métis people who make Alberta their home today.

William Townsend: Painting Alberta, Details of Canada

William Townsend, Southeast from 110th Street I, c.1962. Oil on canvas board. Collection of the Artist's Estate. 

AGATownsend

William Townsend (British, 1909-1973) came to Canada for the first time in 1951 to teach painting in Banff, Alberta. For the rest of his life he returned repeatedly to teach in Alberta, surveying the state of contemporary painting across the country while en route. Sharing lessons of modern painting from London, Townsend promoted Canadian art and artists internationally.

Townsend’s legacy includes a collection of modern paintings of the Canadian West and a lifetime of journals detailing his travels, works and artistic encounters. He captured the scale and quality of Alberta’s landscape, both its urban and mountain terrains, using abstract shapes and vivid colouring. Featuring paintings of Edmonton and the Rocky Mountains from the artist’s estate, and informed by journal entries about Canada, this exhibition celebrates Townsend’s legacy. 

Organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta. Curated by Laura Ritchie. Presented by Capital Powered Art, an exhibition series sponsored by Capital Power Corporation.

William Townsend, Cascade XII,1967. Oil on canvas. Collection of the Artist's Estate. 

See all exhibition-related content and upcoming programming

Curators
Laura Ritchie
Laura Jane Ritchie

Laura Jane Ritchie is the Curator at the Kelowna Art Gallery. She holds a BA in Art History from Mount Allison University and an MA in the same from Western University. Laura Jane has worked in collections and exhibitions management and visual arts administration for and with such Canadian art organizations as the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the New Brunswick Crafts Council, the New Brunswick Arts Board, Museum London, the Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery and the Commonwealth Association of Museums. Formerly the Head of Exhibitions and Collections Management at the Art Gallery of Alberta, Laura Jane’s curatorial projects focus on showcasing permanent collection treasures. She is a fellow of the Getty Leadership Institute’s NextGen, Executive Education for the Next Generation of Museum Leaders. 

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Monday: closed
Tuesday: closed
Wednesday: 11am-5pm
Thursday: 11am-7pm
Friday: 11am-5pm
Saturday: 11am-5pm
Sunday: 11am-5pm

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* Restrictions apply. Please see our Hours and Admissions page.

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Seniors 65+
$10

Location

2 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada T5J 2C1

780.422.6223
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The Art Gallery of Alberta respectfully acknowledges that we are located in Treaty 6 Territory and Region 4 of the Metis Nation of Alberta. We respect this as the traditional and contemporary  land of diverse Indigenous Peoples including the Plains Cree, Woodland Cree, Beaver Cree, Nitsitapi/Blackfoot, Métis, Nakota Sioux, Anishinaabe/Saulteaux/Ojibwe and Dene Peoples. We also acknowledge the many Indigenous, Inuit and Métis people who make Alberta their home today.