The Artistry of Ken Danby
Ken Danby was a Canadian painter recognized for his highly realistic paintings that studied everyday life. His work often focused on portraits, realistic interpretations of farm and rural life, and sport. While he worked in acrylic and oil, he was particularly known for his skill in the challenging medium of egg-tempera and was considered Canada’s finest painter in watercolour. His prolific output also included serigraphs and lithographs, with some panels exceeding four feet in width.
His career saw significant milestones, including a 1963 win of the Jessie Dow Prize at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for his egg-tempera work, Fur and Bricks. In 1968, his portrait of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appeared on the cover of Time magazine. Danby was also commissioned by the National Hockey League to paint portraits of players such as Gordie Howe, Tim Horton, and Wayne Gretzky. His hockey-related works, Lacing Up and At the Crease, remain highly notable, with the latter being replicated as a statue in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Legacy and Recognition
Throughout his life, Danby received numerous honors, including the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario. He was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and was the first recipient of the R. Tait McKenzie Chair for Sport. His art is held in various international collections, including:
- The Museum of Modern Art
- The Brooklyn Museum
- The National Gallery of Canada
- The Art Institute of Chicago
- The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
- The Vancouver Art Gallery
Danby lived and painted on a 50-acre rural property near Guelph, Ontario, where he designed a mechanized easel to orient his painting surface toward changing natural light. He was a published author of several books, including Sky & Water: Ken Danby Landscapes and Land, Water & Light: Ken Danby Landscapes.
