Dalhousie Collects: William Townsend (1909 – 1973)

A selection of paintings and drawings by this well-known artist and teacher from the collection of his daughter Charlotte and son-in-law Ian Townsend-Gault, who is a professor at the Dalhousie Law School. William Townsend was born in London and studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and at the Slade where he was appointed Professor in 1968 and was responsible for establishing the post-graduate programme. Between 1951 and 1973 he taught frequently at the Banff School of Fine Arts where he made a significant contribution to its establishment as a year-round professional Centre for the Arts. This exhibition will range from early student work, through the Kentish landscapes for which he is best known in Britain, to the later more abstract paintings based on Canadian subjects.