July 12, 2010
Toronto – A life in art will be revisited at Scarborough’s Bluffs Gallery this month. Drawings, paintings and prints from the estate of Hungarian-born artist Janos Buda will be shown in the Scarborough Arts Council’s gallery from July 17 – 27.
Buda’s life was consumed with art-making, and his early years as an artist included numerous exhibitions in European galleries. From his arrival in Toronto in 1955, Buda was involved in this city’s art community, and was a well-recognized visitor to concerts and exhibitions. He was an active member of many groups, including Scarborough Arts Council, where he remained a faithful volunteer until shortly before his death.
After Buda’s body was discovered in his Toronto Community Housing apartment in 2005, friends and colleagues rallied to save his life’s work. Thousands of drawings and paintings were pulled from the apartment, as well as many photographs and albums created by the artist to document his career. Many of his Toronto drawings and personal documents were donated to the City of Toronto Archives by Scarborough Arts Council, after they had retrieved the work from the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee.
The exhibition at The Bluffs Gallery this month will be the first show from the artist’s estate since his death. It is a fundraising sale for the Janos Buda Memorial Association, a volunteer group who are preserving the artist’s memory through his work. The Association’s current project is to raise a headstone for Buda’s unmarked grave in Scarborough’s St. Margaret’s in the Pines cemetery. Sales from the exhibition will also support the community arts programs of Scarborough Arts Council.
Drawings, Watercolours and Prints from the Buda Estate opens at The Bluffs Gallery during Scarborough Arts Council’s annual Art in the Park outdoor art fest on Saturday, July 17 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The show runs until July 27.
For information, call Scarborough Arts Council at 416-698-7322 or email artistbuda@gmail.com.