William Ronald ( 1926 – 1998) was an important Canadian painter, best known as the founder of the influential Canadian abstract art group Painters Eleven in 1954.
William Ronald was a graduate of the Ontario College of Art who quickly found that abstract painters could not get their work exhibited in Toronto galleries. Working for the Robert Simpson Co. department store, he persuaded management to pair abstract paintings with furniture displays, thereby discovering a way to get the public to accept non-representational art.
Despite the success of that show, Abstracts at Home, Ronald resented the city's general attitude toward its artists and moved to the United States, eventually becoming an American citizen. Ronald shared a studio with Frank Stella and joined the stable of artists at Manhattan's Kootz Gallery, where he was put on retainer. He was quickly accepted by critics and collectors and enjoyed a multi-year period of success.Ronald loved to paint in public, frequently hiring strippers and showgirls to dance around him as he painted. He continued to paint until his death in 1998 and in fact suffered a heart attack while painting. Wikipedia
