WILLIAM RONALD. [1926-1998].

Born in Stratford, Ontario, his family moved to Fergus. From the age of twelve he wanted to be a painter (his younger brother, John Meredith Smith, also wished to become an artist). In 1947 after finishing high school in Brampton he enrolled in the Ontario College of Art. He studied under Will Ogilvie, Carl Schaefer, J.W.G. MacDonald, George Pepper, John Alfsen, Rowley Murphy, Harley Parker and others (he left after three years but returned at the encouragement of MacDonald). In 1951 Ronald graduated from the college with First Class Honours and won the IODE Scholarship Award. He entered watercolours in an international competition in 1952 and won the Hallmark Art Award. His next job was with the Robert Simpson Company, Toronto [1952], where he worked as a display designer (he continued to paint in his spare time). He exhibited with the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour, Ontario Society of Artists, Canadian Group of Painters, Royal Canadian Academy, at the C.N.E. and with groups at Art Gallery of Toronto. During these exhibitions he encountered other abstract artists. Because of perceptions regarding abstract art, few galleries were sympathetic to the new painters. Ronald made a suggestion to his bosses at Simpson's to show abstract work with their new furniture displays. The management agreed and Ronald contacted Oscar Cahén, Jack Bush, Alexandra Luke, Kazuo Nakamura, Ray Mead and Tom Hodgson. The display went on view in October, 1953. Following the show the artists decided to formally exhibit together. Ronald invited Jock Macdonald, Cahén, both Harold Town and Walter Yarwood, Mead asked Hortense Gordon and finally the group numbered eleven. Alexandra Luke hosted a meeting at her Oshawa studio and the artists formed “Painters Eleven”. In February, 1954 they held their first show at Roberts Gallery (the largest crowd in the history of the gallery came for the opening). Ronald became an instructor in painting and attended the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts for further experience [1952, 1954]. In 1955 the Art Gallery of Ontario purchased Ronald’s painting “In Dawn the Heart” (the painting subsequently won an award at the fifth- national Guggenheim Competition for Canada). In 1955 Ronald moved to New York and was able to arrange for the Painters Eleven to show with American Abstract Artists at the annual exhibition in the Riverdale Museum [1956]. He attracted the attention of the important Manhattan collector, Ingeborg de Beausac, who introduced him to Samuel Kootz. In April of 1957 he held his first solo show at Kootz Gallery. He successfully exhibited with Kootz for six years, but because of the advent of Pop Art, abstraction became somewhat marginalized. Kootz and Ronald had heated discussions regarding style and his last show with the gallery was in December, 1963. At this time, for about nine years, he was having one show a year in Canada and the United States. Ronald left the city and settled in Kingston, New Jersey, where continued to paint and plan an exhibit in Toronto. The Toronto show went badly, he stopped painting, closed his American studio and returned to Canada. In 1965 he arrived in Toronto with his wife and daughter. Plagued by withdrawal from prescription drugs, he moved into the Anglican rectory (St. Andrew-by-the-Lake) in Toronto where Rev. Paul Hopkins was able to help him out of his depression. Living at the rectory Ronald painted a huge abstract mural covering walls and ceiling in brilliant colour. In 1966 Ronald was offered a programme on the arts, by CBC television producer, John Kennedy. He became host of "The Umbrella" which ran on Sunday afternoons (the programme lasted two seasons). In 1967 Fred Lebensold, architect for the National Art Centre in Ottawa, commissioned Ronald to do a 44’ x 60’ mural for the centre (later titled by Ronald "Tribute to Robert F. Kennedy"). While continuing painting Ronald returned to broadcasting and hosted "Theme & Variations" CBC [1968]; "As It Happens" CBC [1969-72]; "Free For All", CITY-TV, [1972-74, 1977] etc. In 1975 Joan Murray and Kathryn Reid Woods organized the exhibition "Ronald: 25 years" which included a catalogue by Barry Callaghan (the show toured eight galleries across Canada). In 1977 Ronald began to paint small abstracts which he exhibited at the Morris Gallery. In 1981 he started print-making and planned a series in this medium. His "prime ministers" project, completed over several years, was his conception of 16 of Canada's prime ministers. The portraits differs in size and technique, to suit to define the personality and reputation each politician. The portraits were shown at the Art Gallery of Ontario and were officially opened by Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau on May 1, 1984 (the exhibition toured Canada). Throughout his career Ronald was given numerous solo shows including: Hart House [1954]; Kootz Gallery [1957-63]; Laing Gallery [1960]; Isaacs Gallery [1963]; Princeton University Museum [1963]; Douglass College, Rutgers University [1963]; David Mirvish Gallery [1970]; Tom Thompson Memorial Gallery [1971]; Robert McLaughlin Gallery [1975]; Morris Gallery. [1975-80]; Musée d'Art Contermporain, Montreal [1975], Art Gallery of Ontario etc. etc. His work is held by numberless private, corporate, and public collections including: National Gallery of Canada, Art Gallery of Ontario, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Brooklyn Museum, NY, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, NYC, Museum of Modern Art, NYC, Whitney Museum of Art, NYC, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, Hirshhorn Museum, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC, etc. etc. A hugely significant artist, innovator, and TV personality, Ronald passed away in 1998.

Bibliography: MacDonald, “Dictionary of Canadian Artists” [vol. 7, pp. 2267-2273].

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