Collection: Bertram Richard Brooker

Bertram Richard Brooker (1888–1955) was a Canadian painter, writer, and advertising executive. Born in England, he moved to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, in 1905 and later settled in Toronto. A self-taught polymath, Brooker introduced abstraction to Canadian art in 1927 with his painting "Sounds Assembling". His work spanned painting, literature, and commercial design, merging visual and literary experimentation.

Brooker’s abstract paintings of the 1920s featured dynamic forms, rhythmic linework, and geometric fragmentation. Influenced by Vorticism and European modernists like Wassily Kandinsky, his compositions explored spiritual and metaphysical themes. His 1929 solo exhibition at Toronto’s Arts and Letters Club was the first public display of abstract art in Canada. Alongside painting, he published the novel "Think of the Earth" (1936) and contributed essays to "The Canadian Forum".

In Toronto, Brooker connected Canadian modernism to international movements. His abstraction predated the Group of Seven’s shift toward non-representational work. Beyond art, he worked as an advertising executive at MacLaren Advertising, designing campaigns for clients like Eaton’s and the Canadian National Railway. His multidisciplinary practice reflected the intersection of art and commerce in the 1920s–1940s.