Joanne Tod (b. 1953) is a renowned Canadian artist known for her unwavering approach to realism, technical precision, and critical wit. She is also one of the country's most celebrated living portrait artists.
This painting depicts a corridor in Toronto’s 1 Spadina Crescent building, home to the University of Toronto’s Daniels Faculty of Architecture. This is where Tod taught Visual Studies & Painting from 2001–2018. In addition to depicting the halls she walked daily, Tod painted scenes from the building in homage to its layered histories—from laboratories where the whooping cough vaccine (developed by a woman), polio vaccines, and penicillin were produced. This specific corridor is a "before" image of building prior to being gutted and remodelled in 2012.
Rendered with alluring texture, masterful perspective, and soft light, "1 Spadina Corridor" is a captivating painting. While the tiles in the foreground are familiar, the details start to blur and fade deeper into the image. This painting is a succinct example of Tod’s appreciation of deep space and her ability to transform ordinary interiors into charged, almost theatrical settings.
For Tod, deep space is an entity as much as a subject sitting for a portrait. With a restrained handling of perspective and light, she creates environments that draw the gaze past surface detail into recesses full of mystery. These spaces carry a weight of presence, reminding us that emptiness itself can be inhabited.
Joanne Tod's works can be found in most major public institutions across Canada, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), and the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal.
Questions about this piece? Contact us, call +1.416.704.1720, or visit our Toronto gallery.
"1 Spadina Corridor"
Canada, 2023
Oil on linen
40"H 30"W
Signed, titled, and dated, verso
Very good condition
Note: The price is $27,500 CAD
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