69.25 x 56.25 in (175.9 x 142.9 cm) including frame
Gershon Iskowitz (1921–1988) was a Polish-born Canadian artist whose life and work were defined by a profound transition from the darkness of the Holocaust to the luminous abstraction of the Canadian landscape. A survivor of both Auschwitz and Buchenwald, Iskowitz immigrated to Canada in 1948, eventually settling in Toronto. His early works were haunted by traumatic memories of the war, often rendered in somber, figurative sketches. However, a transformative helicopter flight over the Churchill River in Manitoba in 1967 fundamentally altered his perspective. This experience of looking down at the earth from above—seeing the landscape as a tapestry of light, color, and fragmented shapes—led him to abandon traditional representation in favor of a unique, soaring abstraction that celebrated the resilience of the human spirit.
Painting K (1983) is a commanding example of Iskowitz’s late-period style, characterized by a shift toward more open, rhythmic compositions and a vibrant, pulsating palette. By the early 1980s, his technical approach had moved away from the dense, cloud-like clusters of the previous decade toward more distinct, floating "islands" of color. In this large-scale oil work, the intense lime-green field acts as a buoyant atmospheric space, allowing the primary reds, blues, and yellows to dance across the canvas with a sense of weightless energy. These amorphous shapes are no longer tightly bound; instead, they reflect the artist's refined mastery of negative space and his preoccupation with the "uplifting" quality of light. Painting K stands as a testament to Iskowitz’s late-career clarity, where the scars of the past were fully transmuted into a joyful, kaleidoscopic vision of the world.
Gallery Moos Ltd, Toronto
Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art, Calgary
Private Collection, Toronto
Mayberry Fine Art, Winnipeg, 2016
Private Collection, Winnipeg
(Includes Buyer's Premium)
Gershon Iskowitz
Gershon Iskowitz was born in Kielce, Poland, in 1921. Although he demonstrated a keen interest in the visual arts at a very young age, he received no formal training during his youth. With the outbreak of World War II, his dreams of studying fine art at the Warsaw Academy were never realized. After surviving nearly six years of internment, during which he continued to sketch secretly, his youthful vision bears witness to the brutality of daily life in the concentration camps and the horrors of the Holocaust. It was not until after the war that he received his first formal art training at the Munich Academy in 1947.
In 1949, Iskowitz immigrated to Toronto. Over the next decade, his artistic vision would evolve from the depiction of bleak images of horrific wartime memories into a new and optimistic expression of his experience in the country. Gradually, the artist’s description of the painful events of his past was transformed into a dynamic representation of the present through landscape. Iskowitz’s unique and personal perception of the Canadian landscape found its expression in an exuberant and joyful use of colour and light. Beginning in 1964, Iskowitz exhibited his work regularly at Toronto’s Gallery Moos. From 1967-70, he taught at the New School in Toronto, during which time his Spadina Avenue studio was a popular place to visit amongst young artists.
The artist received national recognition in 1972, when he was one of two artists chosen to represent Canada at the XXXVI Venice Biennial. An Iskowitz retrospective was held in 1984 at the Art Gallery of Ontario, which traveled throughout Canada, as well as to Canada House in London, England. Each year, the Gershon Iskowitz Foundation, established by the artist in 1985 in association with the Canada Council, awards the Gershon Iskowtiz Prize – one of the most important visual arts awards in Canada.
Major Spring Fine Art Auction
May 7 - May 28, 2026
661 Wall St, Winnipeg MB
(204) 255-5690
mayberryfineart.com
[email protected]
Contact us to make an appointment to preview this item or to sell similar works.
|
Bidding Range
|
Increment
|
|---|---|
| $0.00 - $50.00 | $1.00 |
| $50.00 - $100.00 | $5.00 |
| $100.00 - $500.00 | $10.00 |
| $500.00 - $1,000.00 | $25.00 |
| $1,000.00 - $5,000.00 | $50.00 |
| $5,000.00 - $10,000.00 | $100.00 |
| $10,000.00 - $20,000.00 | $200.00 |
| $20,000.00 - $50,000.00 | $500.00 |
| $50,000.00 - $100,000.00 | $1,000.00 |
| $100,000.00+ | $5,000.00 |
Login or register a BidLots.com account to participate in any auction. Track specific lots and artists with real-time notifications on all bidding activity.
Bidding approval requires three simple steps:
1. Create a Bid Lots account
2. Confirm your email address
3. Create a valid billing profile
Bid Lots and/or the auctioneer may choose to revoke your bidding privileges if your account is not in good standing or your activity is in conflict with our standard terms and conditions of sale.
The buyer’s premium is an additional percentage charged to the winning bidder. The buyer’s premiums may vary from auction to auction, typically ranging from 10% to 20%. Buyer’s premiums will be displayed on detailed lot listings and paddle registration forms.
Bidding begins at the reserve price and advances at set increments based on the bidding range. The specific bidding increments may vary from auction to auction, however the next bid and subsequent increments will always be clearly defined on detailed lot listings. Maximum Bids and Single Bids can only be placed within the pre-defined bidding increments ensuring that no two bidders can place identical bids on an item. View individual lot detail pages to see a complete range of bidding increments for that item.
Requests to cancel a single bid are at the sole descretion of the auctioneer. Maximum bids can be increased but cannot be decreased unless premitted by the auctioneer. Requests to cancel a bid or to alter a maximum bid will be denied if the specific lot is scheduled to close in less than 24 hours or if the lot has significant interest or activity.
To request that a bid be cancelled or to change a maximum bid use the "Ask a question" button on the detailed lot listing.
You will receive an email notification when you have successfully won an auction. You will also see the item listed on your "Bidding Results" page and if you are logged into the site you will see a highlighted message on the auction catalogue pages and auction listings.
Shipping requirements may vary on different items depending on location and size or weight of an item. When registering for a specific auction you will be provided options to clarify your preferred shipping instructions. The auctioneer will also review and provide specific shipping quotes or options following the close of an auction. If you have specific shipping requirements or are unsure of the shipping constraints on a specific item please contact the auctioneer prior to bidding.
Following the close of an auction the auctioneer will provide a detailed invoice for all items you have won. They may contact you before a final invoice is prepared to confirm or review specific shipping instructions. Payment is due once a final invoice is provided and can be submitted online by credit card, or made by EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer), bank draft or international wire transfer. Any outstanding balance will be automatically charged to your registered credit card 5 days following the close of an auction.