Mr. Avrom Isaacs
It's no stretch to call Avrom "Av" Isaacs the Jack McClelland of Canadian art. In a career that has spanned more than 50 years, Isaacs has discovered and supported some of the greatest Canadian artists of the later 20th century, including Michael Snow, Joyce Wieland, Greg Curnoe and Mark Prent. Although Isaacs started out modestly in 1950 with a framing and art supply business, by the 1960s, the shop had morphed into the Isaacs Gallery, Toronto's most cutting-edge art venue, where he'd stage avant-garde concerts and poetry readings in addition to often controversial art shows. The Isaacs Gallery carried on at various locations until 1991; Isaacs stayed in the art game with the Isaacs/Innuit Gallery for another decade. (The Art of the Deal-In conversation with legendary Canadian art dealer Av Isaacs, Sascha Hastings, July 21, 2005, cbc.ca)
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It's no stretch to call Avrom "Av" Isaacs the Jack McClelland of Canadian art. In a career that has spanned more than 50 years, Isaacs has discovered and supported some of the greatest Canadian artists of the later 20th century, including Michael Snow, Joyce Wieland, Greg Curnoe and Mark Prent. Although Isaacs started out modestly in 1950 with a framing and art supply business, by the 1960s, the shop had morphed into the Isaacs Gallery, Toronto's most cutting-edge art venue, where he'd stage avant-garde concerts and poetry readings in addition to often controversial art shows. The Isaacs Gallery carried on at various locations until 1991; Isaacs stayed in the art game with the Isaacs/Innuit Gallery for another decade. (The Art of the Deal-In conversation with legendary Canadian art dealer Av Isaacs, Sascha Hastings, July 21, 2005, cbc.ca)
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Beside himself with pride: Av Isaacs, art dealer extraordinaire. Photo Peter Power. Courtesy Av Isaacs.