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This painting depicts the foyer of the Birkbeck building, a four-story structure in downtown Toronto. It is a National Historic Site of Canada and since 1976 it is protected under the Ontario Heritage Act. First serving as the Canadian Birkbeck Investment and Savings Company headquarters, the building is now home to the Ontario Heritage Trust offices.
"Birkbeck Building" is a paradigm of Todâs appreciation of institutional interiors, where she depicts them with passion and precision, elevating them into charged, almost theatrical settings. Here she captures the daylight pouring in and reflecting off of the polished stone surfaces on the walls and floor. The black carpet runner lays in contrast to the light, airy lobby, grounding the scene and emphasizing the orchestrated deep space.
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 MusĂ©e des beaux-arts de MontrĂ©al.Â
Questions about this piece? Contact us, call +1.416.704.1720, or visit our Toronto gallery.
"Birkbeck Building"
Canada, 2025
Oil on canvas
36"H 27"W
Signed, titled, and dated, verso
Very good condition
Note: The price is $24,500 CAD
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When a work is valued above $2,500 usd there is a possibility of tax of 0.35%, but this is applied sporadically. There can similarly be an additional fee for customs brokerage and this can range from $20 - $65. US Taxes, duties and customs brokerage are not included in our flat rate shipping. However most of our shipments to the US enter without any additional fees.Â
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