Garry Neill Kennedy: Work of Six Decades is a comprehensive retrospective of one of Canada’s most influential artists. Spanning more than 60 years, this exhibition offers a full view of Kennedy’s influential career. It traces the evolution of his practice from early conceptual experiments in painting, to a defining body of later work grounded in institutional critique developed during his tenure as President of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD).
Across painting, drawing, and printed work, this exhibition highlights the concepts, materials, and systemic inquires that defined his practice. It reveals how Kennedy’s work engaged with society and politics, and uncovers the rigour, wit, and intellectual generosity that established him as a key figure in Canadian and international contemporary art.
Image: Garry Neill Kennedy, U (detail), 2015. Latex house paint and florescent orange paint on canvas, 270.0 x 208.0 cm. Gift of the Artist, Vancouver, British Columbia, 2016, with assistance from the Fred and Elizabeth Fountain Endowment for Contemporary Art.
Curated By: David Diviney and Cathy Busby
About the Artist:
Garry Neill Kennedy (1935–2021) was a distinguished Canadian artist and educator based in Vancouver, BC. Over the course of his career, he became known for his conceptual artistic practice and his significant contributions to the development of arts education in Eastern Canada.
In addition to his active career as an artist, Kennedy taught studio art at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD University) for more than forty years, serving as the institution’s president from 1967 to 1990. He was also a visiting professor at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris (ENSB-A).
Kennedy’s most recent solo museum exhibitions were held at the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, the Owens Art Gallery, and Portikus in Frankfurt am Main. He was the recipient of several awards, including the Portia White Prize (2000), the Order of Canada (2003), and the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts (2004).
His most recent publications include The Last Art College: Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, 1968–1978 (MIT Press) and a comprehensive Catalogue Raisonné of His Printed Matter by Peter Trepanier, published by the National Gallery of Canada.
With Generous Support From
