An exhibit of artist Peeter Sepp’s abstract expressionist paintings opens at Estonian House March 26, for a three-week run till April 17. Over 20 large-scale canvases, never shown together as a collection in Toronto, will be on display. Sepp died prematurely in 2007 and the work has been in storage until now.
Peeter Sepp was an Estonian-Canadian activist and popular figure on the Toronto arts scene in the 1970s. A trained architect and multidisciplinary artist, he was perhaps best known for his racy black and white comic strips featuring an often pant-less character that resembled Sepp. Earlier, Sepp had concentrated as an abstract expressionist painter. He never exhibited his work.
Sepp was inspired by Painters Eleven, the first Canadian artists to explore abstract painting in the 1950s. He particularly loved the bold colours and shapes featured in the work of the group’s founder, William Ronald. Sepp also admired Harold Town, Graham Coughtry and Michael Snow.
Between 1956 and 1976, Sepp created a fresh and original body of work. This is a rare opportunity to view the complete output from that period. The show’s curators, Eda Sepp and Deeter Hastenfeul, believe that Peeter Sepp should be considered a peer of Painters Eleven. “Peeter’s work compares in quality with that of other Canadian abstract expressionists, and he should be recognized as a contemporary,” says Eda Sepp.
The exhibit, titled “Peeter Sepp, Colour My World,” is sponsored by the Tartu College Estonian Studies Centre, the Estonian Ministry of Culture, the Estonian Art Centre and the Estonian Toronto Credit Union, the Estonian House.
Contact: Eda Sepp,
See also SEPP ON SEPP: A Conversation with Art Historian Eda Sepp.
