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Jack Henry Pollock
Jack Henry Pollock (1 August 1930 – 10 December 1992) was an
author, painter, art educator and art dealer who was a fixture on the Toronto
art scene for over 3 decades. Pollock was the flamboyant founder and owner of
The Pollock Gallery in Toronto. He was widely reputed to have a skilled eye for
identifying talent in young artists and was instrumental in the careers of many
notable artists that he represented including David Hockney,
Susan Ross, Ken Danby,
Norval Morrisseau, Roy Thomas, Catherine
Senitt, Charles Pachter, Robert Bateman and Willem de
Kooning. Pollock graduated
from the Ontario College of Art in 1954 and subsequently studied at the
prestigious Slade School of Fine Art in London, England. Afterwards, he
returned to Canada and was employed as a colour consultant for a paint company. In 1966, the National Gallery of Canada acquired a
print of Pollock's “Remembered
Image No.82” for its permanent collection. Pollock's painting styles were abstract and
expressionistic. His later works were highly colorful, simple studies of scenes
from his everyday life. In 1979, with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
personality Lister Sinclair, Pollock had written and
published one of Canada's most notable art books: The Art of
Norval Morrisseau. In April 1984, Pollock was exhausted, depressed
and attempting to break free of his addiction to cocaine so he fled to a
residence he partially owned with friends located in Gordes,
southeastern France. Pollock's choice to refocus on his art led to successful
exhibitions. He held exhibitions in Gordes, Marseille
and Vichy.
During this time, Pollock was corresponding with a Toronto-based psychiatrist.
These letters would later become the basis for an autobiographical book. In
1988, Pollock returned to Toronto permanently after experiencing significant
heart-related health problems. Upon his return, he learned he had contracted
HIV. Ever defiant, he held his first major exhibition in five years at the
Brownstone Hotel. |
![]() Night Sounds
Oil on Paper Triptych - each sheet 28" x 20" circa 1984 $5,500 |