Why black painter Grafton T. Brown was lost to Canadian art history
Historian John Lutz on the search for the lost paintings of the enigmatic artist Grafton Tyler Brown.
Before painters like A.Y. Jackson and Franklin Carmichael hit the Canadian arts scene, there was another artist interpreting our nation's stunning scenery. In the 1880s, black porter Grafton Tyler Brown left his life in the United States and began passing as a white painter in Canada.
His story of racial reinvention is a spectacular but virtually unknown part of Canadian art history — and that's something historian John Lutz would like to change. Lutz joins guest host Allan Hawco to share Brown's incredible story, lessons gleaned from his life that are still relevant today, and how ordinary people can help find the artist's lost paintings.
*Click on the listen button above to hear the full segment (audio runs 11:16)
