Thomas John (Tom) Thomson
Thomas John (Tom) Thomson
1877 - 1917
OSA
Born in Claremont, Ontario in 1877, Thomson studied at the Chatham Commercial School from 1899 to 1901, and traveled to Seattle to study photoengraving from 1901 to 1904, returning to Toronto in 1905. He was otherwise a self-taught artist, but gained much knowledge through his association with the members of Group of Seven, who he met in Toronto through the Arts and Letters Club and while working at commercial art firms Grip Ltd. and Rous and Mann Ltd. He was not an official member of the Group, but likely would have been, had he not unexpectedly and mysteriously drowned in July of 1917 at Canoe Lake. Long after his death, his work left a lasting and significant impression on the Group, with whom he shared a deep appreciation for the rugged natural beauty of the wild landscape of the Ontario north.

Thomson's first trip to Algonquin Park was in spring of 1912, and it became his primary painting place. Adept at surviving in the woods, Thomson fished, explored its many lakes by canoe, and painted in all conditions, drawn to the drama of its open skies, wooded shores and mercurial weather. He depicted a striking variety of subjects - from serene spring days and summer sunsets to nocturnes with Northern lights, or wild storms lashing the land. Every year from 1912 on he would travel to Algonquin Park for prolonged periods of sketching, and then return to the Group's Studio Building in Toronto in the winter to produce larger paintings from the gem-like oil on board works he painted out of doors. Thomson's development was meteoric, and in the years following this first trip, his depictions of the northern landscape using broad, expressive brush-strokes and rich and varied colour became known for their raw passion and beauty. As art patron Dr. James MacCallum stated, "Thomson painted not merely to paint, but because his nature compelled him to paint - because he had a message. The north country gradually enthralled him, body and soul. He began to paint that he might express the emotions the country inspired in him; all the moods and passions, all the somberness and all the glory of colour, were so felt that they demanded from him pictorial expression." In the brief span of his mature career Thomson created an unforgettable body of work, and was viewed as embodying the spirit of the northland.

Canvases such as The Jack Pine, Northern River and The West Wind, icons of Canadian art, are in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada, and Thomson's works are in the collections of many other major museums. The most recent Thomson retrospective was held in 2002 by the National Gallery of Canada - a major exhibition that traveled to the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Musée du Québec, the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the Vancouver Art Gallery.
HOW TO SELL
AVAILABLE WORKS
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Early Spring, Canoe Lake by Thomas John (Tom) Thomson sold for $2,749,500
Thomas John (Tom) Thomson
Early Spring, Canoe Lake
8 1/2 x 10 1/2 in, 21.6 x 26.7 cm
1917
oil on panel
Estimate: $600,000 - $800,000 CDN
Sold for: $2,749,500 CDN (premium included)
Fall 2009 - 2nd Session on Thursday, November 26, 2009
Canoe Lake by Thomas John (Tom) Thomson sold for $1,696,500
Thomas John (Tom) Thomson
Canoe Lake
8 1/2 x 10 5/8 in, 21.6 x 27 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $400,000 - $600,000 CDN
Sold for: $1,696,500 CDN (premium included)
Fall 2013 - 2nd Session on Thursday, November 28, 2013
Spring, 1916 by Thomas John (Tom) Thomson sold for $1,621,250
Thomas John (Tom) Thomson
Spring, 1916
8 1/2 x 10 1/2 in, 21.6 x 26.7 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $600,000 - $800,000 CDN
Sold for: $1,621,250 CDN (premium included)
Canadian, Impressionist & Modern Art on Wednesday, December 01, 2021
Sleet Storm by Thomas John (Tom) Thomson sold for $1,534,000
Thomas John (Tom) Thomson
Sleet Storm
8 1/2 x 10 1/2 in, 21.6 x 26.7 cm
1914
oil on canvas on board
Estimate: $1,000,000 - $1,500,000 CDN
Sold for: $1,534,000 CDN (premium included)
Fall 2016 - 4th Session on Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Moccasin Flower or Orchids, Algonquin Park by Thomas John (Tom) Thomson sold for $1,501,250
Thomas John (Tom) Thomson
Moccasin Flower or Orchids, Algonquin Park
10 1/2 x 8 1/2 in, 26.7 x 21.6 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $1,000,000 - $1,500,000 CDN
Sold for: $1,501,250 CDN (premium included)
Canadian, Impressionist & Modern Art on Thursday, November 24, 2022
Birches and Cedar, Fall by Thomas John (Tom) Thomson sold for $1,404,000
Thomas John (Tom) Thomson
Birches and Cedar, Fall
8 1/2 x 10 1/2 in, 21.6 x 26.7 cm
fall 1915
oil on panel
Estimate: $600,000 - $800,000 CDN
Sold for: $1,404,000 CDN (premium included)
Spring 2009 - 2nd Session on Wednesday, June 17, 2009
After the Storm by Thomas John (Tom) Thomson sold for $1,298,000
Thomas John (Tom) Thomson
After the Storm
8 7/16 x 10 1/4 in, 21.4 x 26 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $500,000 - $700,000 CDN
Sold for: $1,298,000 CDN (premium included)
Fall 2015 - 2nd Session on Thursday, November 26, 2015
Tamarack Swamp (Sketch #5) by Thomas John (Tom) Thomson sold for $1,150,000
Thomas John (Tom) Thomson
Tamarack Swamp (Sketch #5)
8 1/2 x 10 1/2 in, 21.6 x 26.7 cm
oil on panel
Estimate: $400,000 - $600,000 CDN
Sold for: $1,150,000 CDN (premium included)
Fine Canadian Art Spring 2008 on Thursday, May 22, 2008
Northern Lights by Thomas John (Tom) Thomson sold for $1,150,000
Thomas John (Tom) Thomson
Northern Lights
8 1/2 x 10 1/2 in, 21.6 x 26.7 cm
oil on panel
Estimate: $750,000 - $950,000 CDN
Sold for: $1,150,000 CDN (premium included)
Fine Canadian Art Fall 2007 on Friday, November 23, 2007
Spring Woods by Thomas John (Tom) Thomson sold for $1,035,000
Thomas John (Tom) Thomson
Spring Woods
8 1/2 x 10 1/2 in, 21.6 x 26.7 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $300,000 - $400,000 CDN
Sold for: $1,035,000 CDN (premium included)
Fine Canadian Art Spring 2007 on Wednesday, May 23, 2007