Oscar Cahén: Last week Renata and I felt fortunate to be able to see the originals of illustrator
Oscar Cahén in person, which is thanks to the current showing of his work at MOCA Museum of Contempory Art in Calgary. It's pretty sweet to see original work of an artist such as Oscar Cahén, I am not sure if I was more inspired or cowed by the immense virtuosity of Mr. Cahén's illustration. It's a dilemma I look forward to experiencing further as I plan to make many more trips to the gallery to see this show - if your in Calgary you should too!
Oscar Cahén: Canada's Groundbreaking Illustrator, 1931-1956
October 4 - December 1, 2012
Museum of Contemporary Art FREE admission Tues - Fri: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm Sat: 12:00 - 4:00 pm 104 - 800 Macleod Trail SE (Main floor, Calgary Municipal Building) Calgary, Alberta Canada T2G 2M3 (403) 262-1737 info@mocacalgary.org or info@oscarcahen.com
This exhibition surveys Cahén's work from his beginning to his untimely death in 1956 at age 40. Coming from Europe as a prisoner of war, Cahén began freelancing while still interned as an enemy alien. His talent led to his release, and he went on to influence many younger illustrators and to modernize Canadian illustration with his extreme versatility and experimental approaches. Cahén was recognized in 1951 by the Art Directors Club of New York, and he dominated the Toronto Art Directors Club awards throughout the early 1950s. He also appeared in design periodicals Graphis Annual and Publimondial. Cahén is remembered today for his major contribution in the mid-1950's to abstract painting in Toronto as a member of the famed collective Painters 11. This exhibition, which includes a full colour catalogue, brings attention to how his prior and concurrent illustration practice informed his exploration of painting. On view will be approximately 30 original illustrations borrowed from private and family collections, made for periodicals such as MacLean's, Canadian Home Journal, Weekend Picture Magazine, and the Montreal Standard.
