| ARTIST BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | Born in St. Boniface, Manitoba, Tony Tascona studied at the Winnipeg School of Art, graduating in 1950. To support his passion for art, Tony worked with Canadian Aerospace Industries and then with Trans-Canada Airlines (now Air Canada). Tony also served on the Boards of the National Gallery of Canada, the Royal Canadian Academy, the Canadian Conference of the Arts, the Winnipeg Art Gallery and CARFAC Canada.
His work is greatly informed by his time in the airline and aerospace industry. Plastics, all types of metals and industrial materials have made their way into his pieces. Dedication, precision and material manipulation – Tony uses all the tools in his arsenal to create rich, bold and colourful pieces that are diverse and open. Tony was also versatile in his form, sometimes painting on canvas, sometimes producing silk screens; other times he cast resin or created ink drawings. Experimentation with form, style and material allowed Tony to develop quickly and produce a large number of pieces – that were always interesting and sophisticated.
Tony’s work has been exhibited across Canada and in Michigan, Connecticut and Denmark, and in travelling exhibitions in Canada, Wales, Australia, France, Norway and the Ukraine. His work is held in a number of permanent collections, including the collections of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the University of Manitoba, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Gallery of Canada, TD Bank, the University of Calgary, the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, as well as a number of private collections. Tony received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977 and the Order of Canada in 1996.
Tony passed away in 2006; he was 80 years old. |