John Martin Alfsen , known more commonly as John Alfsen (December23, 1902November 30, 1971) was a painter, known for his portraits, figurative work and paintings of circus life.

Biography

John Martin Alfsen was born in Long Rapids, Michigan, and emigrated to Canada in 1913 as a boy of 11, settling in Toronto.A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, volumes 1-8 by Colin S. MacDonald, and volume 9 (online only), by Anne Newlands and Judith Parker National Gallery of Canada / Musée des beaux-arts du Canada. He studied at the Ontario College of Art with

Arthur Lismer Arthur Lismer, LL.D. (27 June 1885 – 23 March 1969) was an English-Canadian painter, member of the Group of Seven and educator. He is known primarily as a landscape painter and for his paintings of ships in dazzle camouflage. Early life ...

, F. H. Varley and J.W. Beatty (1920–1922), then at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, and sculpture with

Antoine Bourdelle Antoine Bourdelle (; 30 October 1861 – 1 October 1929), born Émile Antoine Bordelles, was an influential and prolific French sculptor and teacher. He was a student of Auguste Rodin, a teacher of Giacometti and Henri Matisse, and an important ...

at the

Académie de la Grande Chaumière The Académie de la Grande Chaumière () is an art school in the Montparnasse district of Paris, France. History The school was founded in 1904 by the Catalan painter Claudio Castelucho on the rue de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, near the A ...

, Paris. Following his year in Europe, he took further study at the Art Students' League, New York, under Kenneth Hayes Miller (1925). He taught at the Ontario College of Art from 1926 to 1971. For two years, he lived in Sarasota where he taught and painted winter circus people at the Ringling Brothers School of Art. An award was established in his memory at the College in 1986. His work was featured in an exhibition with

Randolph Hewton Randolph Stanley Hewton (June 12, 1888 – March 17, 1960) was a Canadian artist, known for his figurative work and as a colorist. Career He was born in Maple Grove, Quebec, and studied with William Brymner at the Art Association of Mont ...

in 1943 at the then Art Gallery of Toronto, at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario (1958) and recently, in the exhibition ''Drawn to Dance'' with York Wilson and Canadian artist Grant Macdonald in 2016 at the DCD Gallery, Toronto. His works are in public collections such as the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's National museums of Canada, national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the List of large ...

, the

Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; ) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located on Dundas Street, Dundas Street West in the Grange Park (neighbourhood), Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, the museum complex takes up of phys ...

, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, and the University College Collection of the Art Museum,

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. ''Clown Alley'' in the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario was painted when the artist was spending the winter with the Ringling Brothers School of Art in Florida. His work can be seen at Alfsen House, 154 Main St. North, Markham, Ontario. Alfsen was a member of the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Victoria of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria on 16 ...

(1959), the Ontario Society of Artists (1939); the Canadian Group of Painters and the Canadian Society of Graphic Art (1956).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alfsen, John 1902 births 1971 deaths OCAD University alumni Academic staff of OCAD University 20th-century Canadian painters Canadian male painters Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts American emigrants to Canada 20th-century Canadian male artists