David Urban

In the early 2000s, David Urban made the surprising gambit of returning to modernist painting of the early twentieth century—a long-standing inspiration for him—having interiorized the motifs of Kasimir Malevitch and Piet Mondrian, and even elements of Marsden Hatley. Truly a universal spirit, Urban is not just keenly interested in art history and the methodology of painting: he is also a literary man and an accomplished poet and musician, which is reflected, for instance, in the dynamism, rhythmic structures, and titles of his works. Urban holds an MA in English and creative writing from the University of Windsor (1991) and an MFA in painting and drawing from the University of Guelph (1994). In 2003, he became a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. A leading artist of his generation, he has over 40 solo exhibitions to his credit and his works can be found in many public collections across the country. Urban lives and works in Toronto.