RAY MEAD
(1921–1998)
For collectors, Ray Mead’s work represents both aesthetic sophistication and historical significance. His canvases not only capture the expressive power and elegance of mid-century Canadian abstraction but also embody a transformative moment in the nation’s cultural history. Owning a Mead is an opportunity to acquire a cornerstone of Canadian modernism—paintings that resonate with emotional depth, intellectual rigor, and enduring beauty.
Ray Mead (1921–1998) was a pioneering force in Canadian abstraction and a founding member of Painters Eleven, the groundbreaking artist collective that transformed the country’s artistic landscape in the 1950s. Born in Watford, England, he trained at the Slade School of Art under John Nash and Randolph Schwabe, graduating in 1939. During World War II, he served as a fighter pilot with the Royal Air Force, training pilots in Canada and the United States. While in New York, he encountered American abstract artists, experiences that profoundly shaped his approach to color, composition, and abstraction.
After the war, Mead settled in Hamilton, Ontario, joining a community of modernist painters and forging a lasting friendship with Hortense Gordon. In 1953, following the landmark Abstracts at Home exhibition at Simpson’s in Toronto, he co-founded Painters Eleven, a group dedicated to championing non-objective painting at a time when the Canadian art scene was largely conservative. The collective’s bold, dynamic works earned attention nationally and internationally, including a 1956 show at New York’s Riverside Museum, cementing Mead and his peers as key figures in the rise of Canadian abstraction.
Mead’s mature paintings are celebrated for their luminous fields of color, refined simplicity, and signature high horizon lines, which structure compositions while evoking the landscape in an abstract, meditative manner. Influenced by Canadian peers such as Guido Molinari and American abstractionists, he approached painting as a process of discovery, embracing intuition and accident as central to the evolution of his work. His canvases reward both visual engagement and thoughtful reflection, offering collectors pieces that are as intellectually stimulating as they are visually striking.
Throughout his career, Mead exhibited widely in Canada and abroad, with solo and group shows in Hamilton, Toronto, Montreal, and New York. His paintings are included in the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, and the Art Gallery of Hamilton, where nearly 500 of his drawings were donated in 1999. Posthumous exhibitions, such as Ray Mead: Living Within, continue to affirm his lasting impact on Canadian art.
Collector’s Perspective:
Ray Mead’s work continues to attract strong interest from collectors, both in Canada and internationally. His paintings, particularly mid- to large-scale abstractions, are highly sought after for their combination of historical significance, visual sophistication, and rarity. Institutional representation at the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, and other major collections enhances provenance and underscores his importance in Canadian art history, making his works a sound and culturally significant investment.
Collectors value Mead not only for the aesthetic and intellectual qualities of his paintings but also for their historical resonance as foundational examples of Canadian abstraction. Acquiring a Ray Mead offers both the pleasure of owning a visually striking work and the confidence of investing in a key figure whose legacy continues to shape the appreciation and scholarship of modern Canadian art.
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Ray Mead. Untitled, 1989 acrylic on canvas 30" x 36" $22,000
Ray Mead. Untitled, 1986 mixed media on paper 22 1/8" x 29 7/8" $8,000.00