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A devoted and powerful champion of Canadian arts and culture, David Silcox has a life story that dazzles with tales beyond the easel and canvas.
“An affectionate portrait of a man who — through enthusiasm, charm and an unparalleled network — had an extraordinary impact of Canada’s cultural evolution.” — Charlotte Gray, author of The Massey Murder
Son of a Prairie Dust Bowl preacher, David Silcox rose through the ranks of the Canadian cultural establishment to promote Canadian artists internationally.
From his early days as the first Arts Officer of the Canada Council in the mid-1960s, to his position as Deputy Minister of Culture for the province of Ontario in the late 1980s, to his command of Sotheby’s Canada in the last decade of the century, David Silcox supported the successes of visual artists such as Tom Thomson, Christopher Pratt, Harold Town, and David Milne. With the eye of a practised treasure seeker, he was responsible for the return of a number of Canadian art gems by artists such as Paul Kane and Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven back to native soil.
This first-ever biography of David Silcox showcases a champion of Canadian art through his life and efforts to elevate artists from home around the world.
With wit and insight in equal measure, Nancy Silcox traces the eventful journey of an exceptional Canadian who became an unrivalled champion of the arts in Canada. Nancy Silcox describes the many pivotal roles David Silcox played in government, academe and the private sector, reminding us that prominent among David’s gifts was the ability to make durable friendships wherever he went. The author’s words capture not only the vast sweep of David’s artistic knowledge, but just as importantly, his warmth, keen sense of humour and the joy he took from life itself.
David Silcox was like the Dick Clark of the Canadian art world, possessing a remarkable vitality and joie de vivre. It was a pleasure to work with him. He was a bastion of the Toronto arts community.
The Canadian art scene of the early 1970s was vibrant and exciting, and David Silcox was one of its greatest supporters - his laugh, his smile, his depth of knowledge, and most of all his swashbuckling, infectious enthusiasm for Canada and the arts enriched our lives and our country.
No one else could embody the authority, charm, diplomacy, and — crucially — fundraising persuasiveness as a proven champion of Canadian art better than David Silcox. David knew everyone who mattered in Canadian art.
An engaging and all-encompassing book about David Silcox, a huge supporter of the arts. The stories from a huge swath of his many friends from all walks of life is a testament to his important impact on the art world and his deep friendships with many.
David Silcox’s story is an important one because it says a lot about what Canada means in the world of art, in the world of nature, in the world of governance.