John Heward

John Heward (1934–2018), born in Montreal, was a self-taught Canadian artist known for his work in painting, sculpture, printmaking, performance, and improvised music. A graduate in English literature and history from Bishop’s University, he was also the nephew of painter Prudence Heward. His artistic practice was grounded in intuitive abstraction, using raw gestures, simple materials, and spatial compositions.

He held over 40 solo exhibitions in cities such as Paris, Atlanta, Calgary, and Toronto, and participated in numerous group exhibitions across Canada and the United States. His work has been shown at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, and the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris.

In 2012, he was awarded the prestigious Prix Paul-Émile-Borduas in recognition of his career. As part of a generation of artists who blurred the boundaries between visual art and sound, John Heward’s legacy continues to influence contemporary Canadian art.