David Urban

Born in Toronto in 1966, David Urban studied poetry and painting at York University, earning a BFA in 1989. Urban received a master’s degree in English literature and creative writing from the University of Windsor in 1991 and a second master’s degree in painting from the University of Guelph in 1993.
Since his first exhibition, Urban has emerged as a leader in the development of abstract painting in Canada and has been championed as working with the history of painting in Canada in a respectful and knowledgeable manner. Few artists have been able to marry such a personally-identifiable aesthetic with an extensive and respectful knowledge of the past.
Many of Urban’s signature aesthetics—a colour field ground, gestured brushstrokes and a prominence of line and shape—are evident in the paintings available at 13th Street Gallery. Featuring lyrical forms that dance across an atmospheric colour field, Urban’s informed brushstrokes and a keen sense of colour root his poetic paintings in the movements of the human body and psychic impulses. As Roald Nasgaard points out in his landmark book Abstract Painting in Canada, Urban’s paintings reconstruct “the possibility of belief in art as a transformative power, an actual usable force that enables us to understand the world.” (398)
In many ways David Urban is considered one of the most prescient abstract painters working today, effectively distilling the current social malaise of disillusioned life in the 21st century and reclaiming a genuine sense of truth and human connection through art.

David Urban

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Published on September 20, 2021

EXHIBITION OPENING David Urban; Private Collection

Join us this Saturday September 25, 2021 as we kick off our next exhibition featuring works by David Urban from John’s Mann’s collection. This exhibition will continue until October 30th, 2021. David Urban is one of Canada’s most celebrated artists, his works can be found in major galleries such as...

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Published on September 25, 2021

David Urban: Private Collection

September 25, 2021 to October 30, 2021 Featuring works by David Urban from John Mann's Collection Urban is one of Canada's most celebrated artists, his works can be found in public collections across the country, including every major gallery (Art Gallery of Ontario, National Gallery of Canada) as well as...

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Published on September 16, 2021

David Urban at 13th Street Gallery in St Catharines

ST CATHARINES – 13th Street Gallery located at 1776 Fourth Avenue in St. Catharines is proud to announce its upcoming exhibition DAVID URBAN featuring works by the artist from the private collection of John Mann opening Saturday September 25, 2021. According to Urban, John’s private collection is a good representation of all his works...

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