Join us on Sept. 25 at noon for a talk by Judith Nasby, Curator Emerita and founding director of the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, now the Art Gallery of Guelph.

Exploring the life and legacy of Guelph-born artist and pioneering figure in North American modernism Rolph Scarlett, Nasby will trace Scarlett’s remarkable seventy-five-year career—from his early days in Ontario to his influential work in New York as an avant-garde abstract painter, set designer, industrial designer, and creator of sculptural jewellery.

Known for his bold geometric abstraction in the 1930s and 1940s, Scarlett was championed by Museum of Non-Objective Painting Director Hilla Rebay as her “greatest find,” with over sixty of his works held in the museum’s collection. Offering insights shaped by her decades-long curatorial career and extensive research, including her publication Rolph Scarlett: Painter, Designer, Jeweller, Nasby will present a compelling portrait of a visionary artist whose contributions continue to resonate in the world of modern art.

Image details: Rolph Scarlett, Lyric Dramatic, circa 1945, oil on canvas. Gift of the Artist, 1977 University of Guelph Collection at the Art Gallery of Guelph