Photo courtesy of Gabor Szilasi
Tom Gibson 1930 – 2021
Tom Gibson was a great photographer, ahead of his time in relation to the dynamics of modern life, or the social landscape, with which he was often associated. His last group exhibition in Montreal, organized for the McClure Gallery by Robert Graham, was a reminder of his importance as an artist and influence as an educator. The intensity of the work, an observational style of street photography that is no longer practiced on our streets, is unforgettable. Tom the educator should also be remembered. As founder of the photography program at Concordia, Tom built something from the ground up and it made him justifiably proud. I once sat with Tom as he turned the pages of a Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography catalogue – an exhibition from the collection. As he looked at the book, he kept saying: that person studied in the program, and this one, and that one. Tom was not one to brag or indeed, to effuse over the accomplishments of his students, and some may not know to this day how strongly he felt about their work.
Martha Langford
Research chair & director
Gail & Stephen A. Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art
Guest theorists and artists. Visits to studios, exhibitions, and research centres. A site of dialogue and reflection on photographic knowledge.
