Jonathan Dunkelman is a Toronto artist (born 1963) whose work focuses primarily on abstract minimalist painting. He grew up in Toronto in the 60s and 70s, surrounded by the very best of modern art. His parents were ground-breaking collectors: their eponymous gallery - and by extension their living room – hosted many of the most important and iconic artists to emerge in the latter half of the 20th century. Further, many works of earlier masters who were themselves the makers of modern art movements - artists such as Picasso, Miro, Matisse, Lewitt, Nevelson, and others - made their way through the Dunkelmans’ orbit, and became the subject matter of energetic discussions and debates about the merits of various emerging styles and concepts. It must be remembered that after the Second World War, the center of the global art scene shifted from Paris to New York, and New York was nearby. The New World energy of Abstract Expressionism as well as other emerging phenomena began to foster the Contemporary Art world that we know today. These encounters with art and artists, their ideas and issues, together with the ever-critical appraisal and ongoing commentary of his curator-parents, profoundly shaped the ideas and esthetics of the young Dunkelman.  He writes: Early on, I recognized that the business of making and selling art was uniquely expressive. Our home was a place where visitors often discussed the merits of abstraction in contemporary life. Everyone had an opinion which elevated my curiosity about how I and others create from what we see around us.

Jonathan was not himself quick to jump into art-making, arriving well into his thirties before taking up a brush in earnest. Before becoming a painter, he had become a serious student of oriental martial arts. Following a bullying incident in Grade Two that left him wanting to leave his school, his father insisted that he stay and learn to defend himself. This proved to be a most fateful and favourable decision for Jonathan who subsequently began a lifelong study of refined physical disciplines and mindfulness. (The Wikipedia article on Jonathan’s father Ben Dunkelman deserves a read.)

After much exploration, Dunkelman dove into a career as a painter with a very tightly focused vision. Growing up as he did among the ‘fine art royalty’ of the late 20th century, and being as familiar as he was with the operation of his parents’ own gallery, he eschewed any gallery representation. He sold what he painted, his collectors typically arising from the circle of Contemporary Art aficionados that formed around his parents’ gallery and social circles. As his style developed, his decades of practice in the martial arts emerged as a powerful influence in his work, contributing critically to the maturing of his unique minimalist style. While being clearly of a particular style and period, each of the works in SURFACES manages to embody a distinct minimalist concept that the artist has successfully projected onto a two-dimensional and nearly monochromatic surface. We cannot help but be struck by the quiet authority of these pieces: their simplicity, purity, and beauty, inviting us to experience the moment with a gentle insistence to go slowly, breathe deeply, and be fully present in the moment.

Jonathan Dunkelman’s work has been shown in several galleries in Toronto, hangs in scores of private and commercial collections, and has long been a highly favoured property in the Art Gallery of Ontario’s rental program. 

Written by: Sheldon Rose. November 2023

ARTERIAL TORONTO