KEN DANBY (1940-2007)

Ken Danby, one of Canada’s most celebrated and influential contemporary artists, created paintings that successfully transitioned from artwork to cultural icon. While the popularity of his work and his contributions to the arts made him famous in Canada, it was his timeless images that earned him international recognition as one of the world’s foremost realist artists of his time.¹

Over a career spanning five decades, Danby created paintings and prints that became iconic representations of Canadian identity, capturing moments of quiet reflection, athletic achievement and the beauty of the landscapes and people that shaped the nation.

Danby developed an early passion for drawing and painting, later studying at the Ontario College of Art (OCA, now OCAD University). He emerged in the 1960s as part of a new generation of Canadian artists who challenged traditional approaches to realism and explored the power of precision, observation and visual storytelling. 

His iconic 1972 painting At the Crease, depicting a masked hockey goaltender, became one of Canada’s most recognizable artworks and helped cement his reputation as a painter who captured the spirit of the country.

Danby's sports paintings are among his best-loved images, among them Lacing Up and Hockey Night in Canada, a tribute to 50 years of CBC coverage of the game. His famous sports images include The Great Farewell, painted for Wayne Gretzky when he decided to retire from playing hockey.³

Beyond his studio practice, he contributed to the growth of printmaking in Canada and was an active mentor and advocate for the arts. His work was exhibited nationally and internationally, earning numerous honours, establishing him as one of the country’s most admired visual artists.

Learn more about Ken Danby 

Read the profile about Ken Danby from the National Gallery of Canada

¹Ken Danby Art

² Canadian painter Ken Danby dies at 67, CBC News, Sept. 24, 2007

Image credit:

Ken Danby, At the Crease, 1972, egg tempera on wood, 71.1 x 101.6 cm. Private Collection. Photo by Mike Lalich