Description:
A devoted and powerful champion of Canadian arts and culture, David Silcox has a life story that dazzles with tales beyond the easel and canvas.
"An affectionate portrait of a man who -- through enthusiasm, charm and an unparalleled network -- had an extraordinary impact of Canada's cultural evolution." -- Charlotte Gray, author of The Massey Murder
Son of a Prairie Dust Bowl preacher, David Silcox rose through the ranks of the Canadian cultural establishment to promote Canadian artists internationally.
From his early days as the first Arts Officer of the Canada Council in the mid-1960s, to his position as Deputy Minister of Culture for the province of Ontario in the late 1980s, to his command of Sotheby's Canada in the last decade of the century, David Silcox supported the successes of visual artists such as Tom Thomson, Christopher Pratt, Harold Town, and David Milne. With the eye of a practised treasure seeker, he was responsible for the return of a number of Canadian art gems by artists such as Paul Kane and Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven back to native soil.
This first-ever biography of David Silcox showcases a champion of Canadian art through his life and efforts to elevate artists from home around the world.
Brief description:
Master Emeritus, Massey College, University of Toronto
Review Quotes: The Canadian art scene of the early 1970s was vibrant and exciting, and David Silcox was one of its greatest supporters - his laugh, his smile, his depth of knowledge, and most of all his swashbuckling, infectious enthusiasm for Canada and the arts enriched our lives and our country.-- "John Pratt, Senior Counsel to the Major Projects Management Office"