John Brown

John Brown image of the artist

John Brown was born in Sarnia, Ontario in 1953. He lived and worked in Toronto until his death in 2020. He graduated from the Ontario College of Art in Toronto and received a Bachelor of Arts, at the University of Guelph. Brown has been a presence on the Toronto art scene since the 1980s. Known for his slow, meticulous working process, Brown’s attention to detail has made his work widely collected by private individuals, corporations and public institutions across Canada. He employs a process of applying oil paint to a panel and scraping it off leaving a residual history of the work. Brown likes to create works that reveal themselves through the history of their development. He has been known to take up to a year to create some paintings. His works have been exhibited internationally and have been collected by the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, Claridge Collection, Montreal, Cadillac Fairview Corporation, Donovan Collection, Granite Club, Mercantile Bank, Montréal, Oakville Galleries, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt, Royal Bank of Canada, Sunlife, TD Canada Trust, Bank of Montréal, The National Club and Torys.

Photo: Lauren Barless

Available Artworks

John Brown listenspiritslisten 2019
listenspiritslisten, 2019
John brown listenspiritslisten detail 1
listenspiritslisten, 2019

artwork detail

John brown listenspiritslisten detail 2
listenspiritslisten, 2019

listenspiritslisten, 2019

John Brown
paint on paper, wood-mounted 2” x 2”
John Brown Wozzek 2019
Wozzek, 2019

Wozzek, 2019

John Brown
oil on panel 72” x 66”
John Brown Abandoned Desert Town 2018-19
Abandoned Desert Town, 2018-19

Abandoned Desert Town, 2018-19

John Brown
oil on panel 78” x 72”
Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #3 (reaching) 2015
Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #3 (reaching), 2015

Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #3 (reaching), 2015

John Brown
oil on panel 66” x 48”
Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #6 2016
Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #6, 2016

Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #6, 2016

John Brown
oil on panel 66” x 48”
Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #8 2017
Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #8, 2017

Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #8, 2017

John Brown
oil on panel 66” x 48”
Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #2 2015
Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #2, 2015

Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #2, 2015

John Brown
oil on panel 66” x 48”
Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #5 2016
Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #5, 2016

Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #5, 2016

John Brown
oil on panel 66” x 48”
Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #7 2016
Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #7, 2016

Portraits of 8 Thoroughly Researched People #7, 2016

John Brown
oil on panel 66” x 48”
5 Attempts to Make a Painting of Contemporary Anxieties #3 2017
5 Attempts to Make a Painting of Contemporary Anxieties #3, 2017

5 Attempts to Make a Painting of Contemporary Anxieties #3, 2017

John Brown
oil on panel 72” x 84”
Green Figure 2015
Green Figure, 2015

Green Figure, 2015

John Brown
oil on panel 66” x 48”
Grimm #65 2009
Grimm #65, 2009

Grimm #65, 2009

John Brown
oil on panel 24” x 24”
Grimm #74 (blue) 2009
Grimm #74 (blue), 2009

Grimm #74 (blue), 2009

John Brown
oil on panel 24” x 24”
Dolly Rocker Drone 4 2010-2014
Dolly Rocker (Drone 4), 2010-2014

Dolly Rocker (Drone 4), 2010-2014

John Brown
oil on panel 72" x 78"
Victoria 2011-2012
Victoria, 2011/2012

Victoria, 2011/2012

John Brown
oil on panel 84" x 72"
Grimm 85 2010
Grimm #85, 2010

Grimm #85, 2010

John Brown
oil on panel 12" x 12"
Grimm 77 2009
Grimm #77, 2009

Grimm #77, 2009

John Brown
oil on panel 25.5” x 21.5”
Grimm 47 2004
Grimm #47, 2004

Grimm #47, 2004

John Brown
oil on panel 21" x 21"
Grimm 42 2004
Grimm #42, 2004

Grimm #42, 2004

John Brown
oil on panel 21" x 21"
Grimm 37 2004
Grimm #37, 2004

Grimm #37, 2004

John Brown
oil on panel 21" x 21"
Grimm 36 2004
Grimm #36, 2004

Grimm #36, 2004

John Brown
oil on panel 21" x 21"
Grimm 34 2004
Grimm #34, 2004

Grimm #34, 2004

John Brown
oil on panel 21" x 21"
Partial Self Portrait 3 2002-2003
Partial Self Portrait #3, 2002-2003

Partial Self Portrait #3, 2002-2003

John Brown
gouache on paper 29 3/4" x 27 1/2" - paper
Untitled 4-Panel Painting, circa 2019

artwork detail

Untitled 4-Panel Painting, circa 2019

John Brown
oil on panel 96" x 185"