The Best of Art Toronto 2025

10.11.25

The Best of Art Toronto 2025

Here is my take on Toronto's art fair for 2025. You might recall artists Darlene Cole and Vicki Smith from interviews I conducted here on this blog. Both of whom sell really well and whose works I truly admire. Their works revel in a deep sense of nostalgia and youthful beauty and we see a quiet sense of movement in both. By contrast Rick Rivet's Mountain Cougar displays a bold Native work. It's a beautiful painting by an extremely talented artist. Robert Marchessault's Agadez and Line Busch's Untitled display a harmonious contrast of colours. Their work is really aesthetically pleasing and would be a great fixture in any environment. Meanwhile Gavin Lynch's and Cori Creed's works celebrate the Canadian landscape in different styles. Mr. Lynch uses a sort of graphic element to show the overwhelming power of a forest while Cori Creed wants to show a more joyful aspect of the Canadian wilderness. Erin Armstrong is a celebrated painter whose work circulates at art fairs tremendously. She has a unique style that relishes in a new kind of aesthetic. It's neither beautiful nor unpleasant. Rather it speaks its own language and you can instantly tell it's her work. Sebastien Gaudette is a new artist on the Canadian art market. His work is reminiscent of Damien Hirst. I particularly like his take of ink drops on graphic paper. Manolo Valdes' Femme au turban is a mystical rendering of a female without a proper identity. We know very little about this figure save and except that its steeped in nature as shown by the halo within the confines of her turban.

1 Rick Rivet, Mountain Cougar, 2025, Native Canadian