William Ronald
1926 – 1998

Born in Stratford, Ontario, Ronald was a leading figure in the development and awareness of abstract expressionism in Canada, founding the Painters Eleven collective in 1953. Ronald graduated from The Ontario College of Art in 1951 (having studied under Jock Macdonald) and moved to New York City, studying with the American abstract expressionist Hans Hoffman. William de Kooning was a strong influence on Ronald in his early years. Returning to Canada Ronald was part of a 1953 exhibition titled “Abstracts at Home” which included Jack Bush; Oscar Cahen; Tom Hodgson; Alexandra Luke; Ray Mead and Kazuo Nakmura. That same year Harold Barling Town; Walter Yarwood and Jock Macdonald joined the group. (Painters Eleven)

Ronald moved back to New York and in 1956 met Sam Kootz who soon after represented Ronald in his Manhattan gallery. In the mid sixties Ronald returned to Canada permanently (working as a journalist for several years) and continued to paint until his sudden death in 1998.

Collections:

Art Gallery of Ontario – Toronto
National Gallery of Canada – Ottawa
Museum of Modern Art – NYC
Carnegie Institute – Pittsburgh
Musee d’art de Joliette – Quebec
Guggenheim Museum – NYC
Albright Knox Art Gallery – Buffalo
Art Institute of Chicago
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Whitney Museum of Art – NYC
Edmonton Art Gallery – Alberta