Three Original Tom Thomson Sketches Donated to Owen Sound Gallery by Family Heirs
Three original Tom Thomson sketches with local family ties were donated to the Gallery, as five more returned from a national exhibition tour.
The Tom Thomson Art Gallery has received a rare and historically significant donation of three original oil sketches by Tom Thomson, each with a direct connection to the artist’s family in Leith. The donation was highlighted in a report presented Wednesday at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery Advisory Committee meeting at City Hall.
The paintings were bequeathed by Gloria M. and James E. Smith of Toronto and have a documented family lineage tracing back to Margaret Thomson—Tom Thomson’s mother—who gifted the works to her niece, Charlotte (“Lottie”) Tripp Gilchrist.
Gilchrist was raised in Leith alongside members of the Thomson family, linking the artworks to Grey County’s local heritage. The donation brings these pieces into the Gallery’s permanent collection for the first time.
According to the report from Director and Chief Curator Aidan Ware, the sketches will undergo professional conservation work, including cleaning and reframing using archival materials.
In her presentation, Ware noted the Gallery currently has a pledge of $5,000 toward this project, as well as two donations totalling $1,500. Georgian Bay Art Conservation has agreed to contribute in-kind support, and the Gallery is actively seeking donations to help cover the remaining conservation costs.
In addition to the new acquisitions, five other Tom Thomson works have returned to the Gallery following a national tour. These paintings were featured in Tom Thomson: North Star, an exhibition organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. The tour included stops at major Canadian galleries in Alberta, British Columbia, and New Brunswick.
Two of the returned works received conservation upgrades during the tour: Wild Flowers (1915) and Algonquin Park (1915) were fitted with non-reflective glazing, while Snow and Earth (1917) was reframed by the McMichael for enhanced stability. These improvements were provided at no cost to the Gallery.
The Gallery’s exhibition spaces reopened to the public on April 5 after a three-month closure for a scheduled replacement of its aging HVAC system. The $425,000 project, largely funded by the City, ensures the environmental conditions required to preserve the Gallery’s permanent collection and safely host future exhibitions.
Looking ahead, the Gallery will open a new exhibition by Owen Sound artist Elly MacKay on June 28. Only Human explores the ethical dilemmas surrounding artificial intelligence and artistic autonomy in the digital age. Visitors will be asked to lock away their phones before entering the immersive installation.
The Gallery also announced the return of its popular summer art camps for children aged 8–12. Running from July 7 to August 22, the camps blend hands-on artmaking with outdoor excursions to places connected to Tom Thomson’s early painting. A sponsorship from the Kiwanis Club of Owen Sound will allow several disadvantaged children to attend at no cost.