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John Meredith Paintings: The 4 Most Famous, Through a Gallery's Eye
Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 4 works by John Meredith in our catalogue
In short
To the gallery's eye, John Meredith's most famous painting is Empress (1961), whose original hangs in the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Presence II (1964) and Violet on Red and Green (1965) complete the trio every eye recognises. Of the 4 works by John Meredith in our catalog, the gallery presents the 4 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.
1933 – 2000, Ontario
Most works: National Gallery of Canada
The gallery's top 10 John Meredith paintings
The museums that keep John Meredith's originals
The museum that holds the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by John Meredith | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 National Gallery of Canada |
Ottawa | 4 | Empress, Presence II, Violet on Red and Green |
John Meredith, the signature paintings of each year
7 years, 1961 to 1967, hold John Meredith's whole dated career on this page: a short one, seen here year by year through its most famous originals.
Works per year
Pick a year to see its originals.
John Meredith's paintings: the gallery answers
Which John Meredith painting is the most famous of all?Reveal the answer
Empress (1961), National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Presence II (1964) and Violet on Red and Green (1965) come next.
How old was John Meredith on completing Empress?Reveal the answer
28 years old: Empress dates from 1961, and John Meredith was born in 1933.
How many works did John Meredith create?Reveal the answer
Our catalog holds 4 works by John Meredith, dated from 1961 to 1967.
Where do John Meredith's most famous originals hang?Reveal the answer
Mostly in National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa). The museum table above lists them all.
Which are John Meredith's earliest and latest famous works?Reveal the answer
On this page, the earliest is Empress (1961) and the latest Prophecy (1967).
Which John Meredith originals does the National Gallery of Canada hold?Reveal the answer
Empress, Presence II and Violet on Red and Green: the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa holds 4 of the works on this page.
John Meredith: the artist
The Evolution of an Abstract Expressionist
John Meredith was a Canadian abstract expressionist painter born in Fergus, Ontario. After moving to Brampton, Ontario, he studied at the Ontario College of Art from 1950 to 1953 under Jock Macdonald. His early professional years included working as a cartoonist for the Brampton Conservator. By 1958, he held his first solo show at Toronto's Gallery of Contemporary Art, presenting canvases characterized by dark colors, sometimes interspersed with red and purple, alongside loosely figurative images of vertical stripes and forms.
His technique underwent significant transformations over the decades. He often utilized small colored ink drawings divided into squares as templates for his large canvases. In 1966, he began a method he considered his own invention: using details from still-wet, smudged drawings. His palette expanded to include pinks, purples, and greens, and he eventually utilized the palette knife to apply thick layers of pigment to the canvas.
Artistic Legacy and Recognition
Meredith's career was marked by numerous exhibitions in Toronto and abroad, including shows at the Isaacs Gallery and the Blue Barn Gallery. One of his major works is the triptych Seeker, which is held in the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario. This piece was developed from a study of colored inks on paper and was painted with his parents in mind. In 1986, the Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives in Brampton held a 30-year survey of his work.
His contributions to Canadian art were recognized with the 1971 Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award from the Canada Council. His works are represented in several notable public collections, including:
- Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
- National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
- Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
- Vancouver Art Gallery
- Museum London, London, Ontario
- Art Windsor-Essex
- The Canada Council Collection
- MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina
- The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa
- Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston