The Robert McLaughlin Gallery

Painters Eleven was the first abstract artist collective in Ontario. The Toronto group was founded in 1953 at the cottage of artist Alexandra Luke on the Oshawa–Whitby border. In the early 1950s, Toronto’s art scene was criticized for being conservative and unexciting. Painters Eleven was determined to shake things up and elevate abstraction within mainstream Canadian art. The group’s first exhibition drew crowds and received positive press, despite its radical approach to art. Banded together by a shared desire to support abstraction and exhibit collectively, the artists did not adhere to a common philosophy or style but did share a love of colour. This exhibition showcases Painters Eleven’s diverse approaches to abstraction alongside a common enthusiasm for bold, expressive colour, highlighting the individuality of each artist.