Over the course of his six-decade career, Christopher Pratt became one of the most respected and widely exhibited artists in Canadian history. From his early inclusion in the National Gallery of Canada’s prestigious Biennial Exhibitions in the 1960s to major retrospectives, these key milestones and publications chart Pratt’s ascent from a promising young painter to a foundational figure in Canadian art.
Christopher Pratt working in his studio.
Christopher Pratt's painting materials.
selected Solo Exhibitions
1961
4th Biennial Exhibition of Canadian Art, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. First professional exhibition.
8th Annual Young Contemporary Painters Exhibition, London Public Library and Museum, London, Ontario.
Atlantic Award Exhibition, Dalhousie Art Gallery, Halifax.
1962
1st Biennial Winnipeg Show, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg.
1963
5th Biennial Exhibition of Canadian Painting, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.
1965
5th Annual Calgary Graphics Exhibition, Nickel Art Gallery, Calgary.
6th Biennial Exhibition of Canadian Painting, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.
8th Annual Exhibition and Sale of Canadian Art, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal.
Canadian Society of Graphic Art, Sarnia Library and Art Gallery, Sarnia.
1966
Christopher Pratt, Memorial University Art Gallery, St. John’s. Toured on the Atlantic Provinces Art Circuit. First solo exhibition.
1967
Atlantic Provinces Pavilion-Expo 67, Montreal.
Cal-Graphics Exhibition, Alberta College of Art, Calgary.
1968
7th Biennial Exhibition of Canadian Art, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.
1970
Christopher Pratt, Memorial University Art Gallery, St. John’s, in collaboration with Galerie Godard Lefort, Montreal. Nationally touring.
1971
Canadian Society of Graphic Art. Internationally touring.
Painters in Newfoundland, Memorial University Art Gallery, in collaboration with the Picture Loan Society, Toronto. Nationally touring.
1972
Yves Gaucher and Christopher Pratt, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver. Nationally touring.
1973
Canada Trajectorie, Musée d’art moderne, Paris, France.
Christopher Pratt Serigraphs, Memorial University Art Gallery, St. John’s. Travels to Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton.
1975
The Canadian Canvas, sponsored by Time Canada. Nationally touring.
Wallace S. Bird Memorial Collection, Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton. Nationally touring.
1976
Aspects of Realism, sponsored by Rothmans of Pall Mall Canada Limited. Nationally touring.
Atlantic Graphics, Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton.
Changing Visions: The Canadian Landscape, Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, and
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.
1982
Newfoundland and Labrador Editions II, Memorial University Art Gallery, St. John’s. Nationally touring.
1983
Christopher Pratt Paintings, Prints and Drawings, Canada House Cultural Centre Gallery, London, U.K. Internationally touring.
1984
Christopher Pratt: Interiors, Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto.
1985
Christopher Pratt: A Retrospective, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver. Nationally touring.
1987
Christopher Pratt Prints, Associated American Artists Gallery, New York, U.S.
1992
The Prints of Christopher Pratt: 1958-1991, Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto. Nationally touring.
1995
Land and Sea - Eight Artists from Newfoundland, Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John’s. Exhibition toured throughout Ireland.
1996
The Boat Show: Canadian Artists - A Nautical Look. Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John’s. Nationally touring.
1999
Christopher Pratt at the Mira Godard Gallery - 30th Anniversary Show, Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto.
2003
Christopher Pratt: Places I Have Been, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.
2005–2007
Christopher Pratt: All My Own Work, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Nationally touring exhibition.
2015
Christopher Pratt: The Places I Go, The Rooms, St. John’s.
2020
The Prints of Christopher Pratt, Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto.
2022
Sixty Years, Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto.
Installation view of Christopher Pratt: The Places I Go, The Rooms, St. John’s, 2015.
WRITINGS BY CHRISTOPHER PRATT
Pratt, Christopher. Christopher Pratt: Personal Reflections on a Life in Art. Key Porter Books, 1995.
Pratt, Christopher. A Painter’s Poems. Breakwater Books, 2005.
Pratt, Christopher. Ordinary Things: A Different Kind of Voyage. Breakwater Books, 2009.
Pratt, Christopher. Thoughts on Driving to Venus: Christopher Pratt’s Car Books. The Porcupine’s Quill, 2015.
Articles, Interviews, and Reviews
“5Q with renowned Canadian artist Christopher Pratt.” Mount Allison University, October 21, 2016. mta.ca/about/news/5q-renowned-canadian-artist-christopher-pratt-mon-05172021-1706.
Ayre, Robert. “Christopher Pratt: a kind of passion for order.” Montreal Star, April 25, 1970.
Baele, Nancy. “His Own Material World: The Christopher Pratt Retrospective.” Canadian Forum 66, no. 763 (November 1986): 37–38.
Bandes, Lucille. “Christopher Pratt's haunted realism.” Officiel 1, no. 3 (Spring 1977): 126–131.
Barnard, Elissa. “Finding Pratt inside his work.” Chronicle-Herald Mail Star, December 9, 1993.
Beauchamp, Elizabeth. “Christopher Pratt finds sanctuary in being alone.” Edmonton Journal, October 19, 1991.
Bodolai, Joe. “A Visit to Newfoundland.” Arts Canada 32, no .4 (Winter 1975/1976): 41–47.
Bruce, Harry. “Christopher Pratt: Magic and Reality.” Maclean’s 86, no.12 (December 1973): 37–46.
Carrol, Nancy. “Painting, Seeing and Christopher Pratt.” Vanguard 11, no. 1 (February 1982): 17–19.
Cook, Michael. “Christopher Pratt, tel qu’en lui meme.” Vie des Arts 22, no. 87 (Summer 1977): 42–44, English: 89–90.
Cronin, Ray. “SEEN: Christopher Pratt and Realism’s Reach.” Billie, June 16, 2022. https://billiemag.ca/seen-christopher-pratt-and-realisms-reach/.
Dault, Gary Michael. “Christopher Pratt.” Canadian Art, Winter 1985.
De Billy, Hélène. “Vue de l’autre solitude: à Terre-Neuve, entre Dieu et la Grande-Bretagne, entre la vie et la mort, Christopher Pratt évoque dans ses toiles un Canada nostalgique et inquiet.” Actualité 13, no.9 (September 1987): 137–138.
Downey, Donn. “A Master of the Abstract.” Globe and Mail, September 13, 2000.
Eagan, Mireille. “A Road Trip with Christopher Pratt.” Canadian Art, March 2, 2017. https://canadianart.ca/features/a-road-trip-with-christopher-pratt/.
Eagan, Mireille and Christopher Pratt. “It All Seems So Ordinary to Me.” In Future Possible: An Art History of Newfoundland and Labrador. Goose Lane Editions, 2021. 200–209.
Edinborough, Arnold. “Christopher Pratt’s Hard-edged World.” Financial Post, April 26, 1986.
Gard, Peter. “Some pastel thoughts on Chris Pratt.” Newfoundland Herald, March 14, 1992.
Greenwood, Michael. “Christopher Pratt: Modes of Representational Art.” Arts Canada 33, no. 4 (December 1976/January 1977): 30–33.
Gwyn, Sandra. “The Newfoundland Renaissance.” Saturday Night 91 (April 1976): 38–45.
Hammock, Virgil C. “Pratt et Pratt.” Vie des Arts 26, no. 103 (Summer 1981): 45–48, English: 78–79.
Hill, Ian. “Newfoundland Landscapes.” Irish Times, June 7, 1995.
Hume, Christopher. “Paradox of Pratt.” Toronto Star, February 23, 1986.
Hume, Christopher. “In Pratt's Skilled Hands, the Dreary and Ordinary are Anything But.” Ottawa Citizen, January 7, 1996.
Johnson, Eve. “Christopher Pratt: Canada’s ultra realist.” Vancouver Sun, November 23, 1985.
Johnston, Ann. “A Brooding Vision.” Maclean’s 94, no. 38 (September 21, 1981): 36–40.
Jones, Charlotte. “Christopher Pratt: New Paintings.” Arts Atlantic 14, no. 3 (Spring/Summer 1996): 12–13.
Kritzwiser, Kay. “Christopher Pratt.” Globe and Mail, October 19, 1985.
Livingstone, David. “The Wrought Iron of the Real World.” Maclean’s (July 6, 1981): 54–55.
Mackay, Gillian. “Afterthought: Christopher Pratt.” Canadian Art, Spring 2000.
Mackay, Gillian. “Explorer in a Barren Universe.” Maclean’s 98 (December 9, 1985): 62–64.
Marshall, Susan. “A Rare Hands-on Discussion with Artist Christopher Pratt.” Sunday Express, April 28, 1991.
Mays, John Bentley. “A new Pratt emerges.” Globe and Mail, February 22, 1986.
Rynor, Becky. “An Interview with Christopher Pratt.” NGC Magazine, November 5, 2014. https://www.gallery.ca/magazine/artists/an-interview-with-christopher-pratt.
Pratt, C., Eagan, Mireille & Larry Dohey. Christopher Pratt: The Places I Go. The Rooms and Goose Lane, 2015.
Pratt, Christopher., & Zemans, Joyce. Christopher Pratt: A Retrospective. Vancouver Art Gallery, 1985.
Books and Scholarly Papers
Pratt, Christopher. Christopher Pratt Paintings, Prints, Drawings = Christopher Pratt Tableaux, Sérigraphies, Dessins. Canadian High Commission, 1983.
Pratt, Christopher, Josée Drouin-Brisebois, and Jeffrey Spalding. Christopher Pratt: All My Own Work. National Gallery of Canada in association with Douglas & McIntyre, 2005.
Pratt, Christopher, Mireille Eagan, and Larry Dohey. Christopher Pratt: The Places I Go. The Rooms and Goose Lane, 2015.
Pratt, Christopher, and Jay Scott. The Prints of Christopher Pratt 1958-1991. Breakwater Books with Mira Godard Gallery, 1991.
Pratt, Christopher, and Joyce Zemans. Christopher Pratt: A Retrospective. Vancouver Art Gallery, 1985.
Scott, Jay. The Prints of Christopher Pratt 1958-1991 = Les gravures de Christopher Pratt 1958-1991. The Art Gallery of the Canadian Embassy, 1992.
Silcox, David P. The Prints of Christopher Pratt. Mira Godard Gallery, 2020. Exhibition catalogue.
Silcox, David P., Meriké Weiler, and Christopher Pratt. Christopher Pratt. Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., 1982.
Smart, Tom. Christopher Pratt: Six Decades. Firefly Books in association with the Art Gallery of Sudbury, 2013.
Audio and Video
Christopher Pratt Talks Alex Colville. CBC, 2013, 5 min 59 sec. https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.425183.
Future Possible - Christopher Pratt. St. John’s: The Rooms, 2019, 4 min and 10 sec. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gzKP9ZvzeI.
The Arts Interview. Christopher Pratt. CITL-MUN Archive Video Collection, 1985, 29 min and 35 sec. https://dai.mun.ca/media/extension/TheArtsInterviewChristopherPratt.mp4.
Harvey, Kenneth J. Immaculate Memories: The Uncluttered Worlds of Christopher Pratt, 2020, 1 hr 15 min, https://vimeo.com/ondemand/immaculatememories.
Pratt, Christopher and Fred Hollingshurst. Christopher Pratt: Harnessed Emotion. Division of Educational Technology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1995, 30 min, DVD (ND 249 P7 C47).