Alfred Joseph Casson (May 17, 1898 – February 20, 1992) was a member of the Canadian group of artists known as the
Group of Seven
The Group of Seven (G7) is an Intergovernmentalism, intergovernmental political and economic forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States; additionally, the European Union (EU) is a "non- ...
. He joined the group in 1926 at the invitation of
Franklin Carmichael, replacing
Frank Johnston. Casson is best known for his depictions in his signature limited palette of
southern Ontario, and for being the youngest member of the Group of Seven.
Life and career
Casson was born on May 17, 1898, in
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, Ontario. At age nine, he moved to
Guelph
Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...
, and to
Hamilton at age fourteen. The first exposure he had to art was at Hamilton Technical School, where he was asked by his teacher to demonstrate for the class. His father sent him to work at age 15 as an apprentice at a Hamilton
lithography
Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...
company. In 1915, the family moved back to Toronto where his first art classes were private lessons with
Harry Britton. Britton taught him about colour and how to use oils and watercolour, a medium he loved. At the same time as working, he attended evening classes at
Central Technical School. The first public exhibition of his work was at the
Canadian National Exhibition, in 1917.
He was hired by the commercial art/engravers firm Brigden's, owned by brothers George and
Frederick Henry (Fred) Brigden. In 1919, Casson moved to Rous and Mann Ltd, where he was influenced by and assistant to
Group of Seven
The Group of Seven (G7) is an Intergovernmentalism, intergovernmental political and economic forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States; additionally, the European Union (EU) is a "non- ...
member
Franklin Carmichael to sketch and paint on his own. Carmichael and Casson then moved on to the first Canadian silkscreen printing firm, Sampson-Matthews Ltd, founded by artist J. E. Sampson and businessman C. A. G. Matthews, for which he worked from 1926 till 1958. After Carmichael left in 1932 to teach at the
Ontario College of Art, Casson became their Art Director and in 1946 their vice-president.
During the 1920s, Casson continued to paint during his spare time alone and with the Group of Seven. He enjoyed painting using watercolour and in 1925, along with Carmichael and F. H. Brigden, founded the
Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour. After
Frank Johnston, a Group of Seven member, left the group in 1921, Casson seemed like an appropriate replacement. In 1926, he was informed by Carmichael that he had become a member of the Group of Seven. In the same year, he also became an associate member of the conservative
Royal Canadian Academy (he became its president in 1949). Carmichael also introduced Casson to
The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto.
In 1924, Casson married Margaret Petry. His father died shortly after his marriage, and he had to take care of and support his widowed mother. After the end of the Group of Seven in 1932, he helped found the
Canadian Group of Painters in 1933, along with several members of the Group of Seven who also became members of the Canadian Group of Painters, including
Lawren Harris,
Arthur Lismer,
A. Y. Jackson and Franklin Carmichael.

Casson developed a painting style with clear colours, background designs, and a limited palette. His approach was what Lawren Harris had talked to him about - simplification and the elimination of all nonessentials. In 1952, he was elected into the
National Academy of Design as an Honorary Corresponding member. In 1954, he was one of eighteen Canadian artists commissioned by the
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
to paint a
mural
A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' ...
for the interior of one of the new
Park cars entering service on the new ''
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
'' transcontinental train. Each mural depicted a different national or provincial park; Casson's was
Algonquin Provincial Park
Algonquin Provincial Park is an Ontario Ontario Parks, provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River, mostly within the Nipissing, Unorganized, South Part, Ontario, Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established i ...
.
He "retired" in 1958 from Sampson-Matthews, at age 60, to paint full-time. He also was helpful as a special consultant to the Anti-Rackets Branch of the
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the State police, provincial police service of Ontario, Canada. The OPP patrols Provincial highways in Ontario, provincial highways and waterways; protects Government of Ontario, provincial government buil ...
uncovering forgeries of
Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven and many other historical Canadian artists.
A. J. Casson died on February 20, 1992, just three months short of his 94th birthday, and is buried on the grounds of the
McMichael Canadian Art Collection, along with six other Group of Seven members.
Honours
* 1940 full member
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (1940 elected president)
* 1942 winner, national competition for designing poster for a Victory Bond;
* 1948 Province of Ontario Award;
* 1954 Gold medal for distinguished service to advertising in Canada;
* 1957 Gold medal, University of Alberta;
* 1967 Silver Centennial Medal;
* 1969 RCA Medal;
* 1973 Fellow, Ontario College of Art;
* 1975 Honorary degree, University of Toronto;
*
Officer of the Order of Canada
Record sale prices

A privately owned work of A. J. Casson's appeared on the May 26, 2008, airing of
PBS's "
Antiques Roadshow". According to the owner, the painting was given to her grandfather by Casson, his friend and neighbour at the time. The work appraised in the $25,000 to $35,000 range.
A large oil on canvas by the Group of Seven's A. J. Casson, ''Street in Glen Williams'', sold for a record $542,800, including buyer's premium on June 1, 2010. The Casson – a leafy, autumnal portrait of
Glen Williams, a small town near Toronto – carried a pre-sale estimate of $200,000–$250,000, the highest such valuation ever accorded a Casson canvas.
Canadian art critic and historian Paul Duval wrote in 1980, "''Street in Glen Williams'' is unquestionably his key autumn portrayal." Bidding for ''Street in Glen Williams'' began at $180,000, then bounded in increments of $10,000, then $20,000 before reaching its
hammer price of $460,000. The clinching bid came from a western Canadian buyer. The previous record for a Casson, $489,100, including premium, was also set by Joyner Auction, in May 2005.
On Wednesday, November 23, 2016, his ''Gathering Storm'' sold for $1,534,000 CDN (premium included) – the highest amount paid for a Casson painting to date.
At the Heffel Auction of Canadian, Impressionist & Modern Art, December 1, 2021, Casson's ''Pic Island, Lake Superior'', an oil on board sketch, 9 3/8 x 11 1/8 in, 23.8 x 28.3 cm, estimated at $40,000 - $60,000, sold for: $481,250 (including Buyer's Premium).
References
Further reading
* Boulet, Roger, "The Canadian Earth: Landscape Paintings by the Group of Seven".
M. Bernard Loates, Cerebrus Publishing, 1982. National Library of Canada
AMICUS No. 2894383* Duval, Paul, "A. J. Casson, His Life and Works: A Tribute".
M. Bernard Loates, Cerebrus Publishing, 1980. National Library of Canada
AMICUS No. 1752235* Duval, Paul, "A. J. Casson: My Favourite Watercolours 1919 to 1957".
M. Bernard Loates, Cerebrus Publishing, 1980. National Library of Canada
AMICUS No. 31154669* Harper, Russell. ''Painting in Canada: A History 2nd ed.'' Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1981.
* Herriott, Ted, "Sunday Morning with Cass: Conversations with A.J. Casson". Purpleville Publishing, 1993. National Library of Canada
AMICUS No. 12946360* Murray, Joan, "The Best of the Group of Seven". McClelland & Stewart, 1993. National Library of Canada
AMICUS No. 12167134* Reid, Dennis ''A Concise History of Canadian Painting'' 2nd Edition. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1988. .
*
The Group of Seven in five minutes or less
External links
Order of Canada CitationA. J. Casson, Lethbridge College Buchanan Art Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Casson, A. J.
1898 births
1992 deaths
20th-century Canadian painters
Canadian male painters
Painters from Toronto
Canadian landscape painters
Group of Seven (artists)
Members of the Order of Ontario
Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
Officers of the Order of Canada
20th-century Canadian male artists
Canadian watercolourists