| Artist Doug Morton, known for being a member of the abstract painting group the Regina Five, died in Victoria on January 4 at age 77.
Born in 1926 in Winnipeg, Morton studied at the Winnipeg School of Art before going on to study at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, the Académie Julian, l’École des Beaux-Arts and the Studio of André L’Hôte in Paris, and then in London at the Camberwell School of Art and the studio of Martin Bloch.
Upon returning to Canada, Morton served as the curator of the Calgary Allied Arts Centre from 1951 to 1953.
However, it was his involvement in a 1961 exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada entitled Five Painters from Regina – in which his work was featured along with that of Ronald Bloore, Ted Godwin, Kenneth Lochhead and Arthur McKay – that brought Morton the most acclaim during his long career in the arts.
That exhibition and later exhibitions of abstract paintings by the Regina Five helped to bring international attention to a burgeoning art scene in Canada. Among their fans was famed art critic Clement Greenberg, who championed the Regina Five and their contribution to abstract painting during the 1960s.
Morton continued to paint even as he worked as an arts administrator for a number of Canadian institutions, including the University of Saskatchewan’s Regina Campus (1967 - 1968), York University (1969 - 1980) and the University of Victoria (1980 - 1985). He returned to Calgary to serve as president of the Alberta College of Art from 1985 until 1987.
Morton is survived by his wife of 55 years, Mickey, five children and 12 grandchildren. |
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