Toller Cranston - The Legacy Paintings

Release date November 9^th 2023

After an historic court settlement, Art Evolution presents the largest Toller Cranston exhibition in history!

A complicated and convoluted 8-year legal battle over the Toller Cranston estate has resulted in an historic judgement and a landmark legal decision that has become part of Canadian Estate Law history. At great personal and financial risk Toller's sister Phillippa Cranston Baran fought tirelessly to protect the legacy of Toller Cranston.

On January 24^th 2015, Art Evolution president Christopher Talbot, international gallerist, long-time friend, and supporter of Toller announced to the World that Canadian icon, skating legend, and artist Toller Cranston had died of a massive heart attack. The New York Times headline read "Toller Cranston, the Nureyev of figure skating dies at 65", but in the final analysis Toller thought of himself simply as an artist and "Artist and Zero Tollerance" is the only descriptive etched into his gravestone in San Miguel Mexico.

Toller Cranston is famous throughout the World, both for his distinctive painting style as well as his immense contribution to the sport of figure skating. From the very beginning, Toller was an "artist who skated" rather than "a skater who became an artist." During his lifetime, Toller created and sold over 20,000 paintings, an output that rivals Picasso.

Art Evolution has secured the remaining paintings of the estate, along with the intellectual property rights that allow the production of limited-edition artworks.

Christopher Talbot is committed to preserving Tollers legacy and will continue to promote Toller's artwork through its galleries in Canada, Australia, and online. A portion of the proceeds will be in support of the "Toller Cranston Foundation" which among other things is focused on annual scholarships which will be administered through the Canadian Olympic foundation.

Art Evolution has mounted the largest Toller Cranston exhibition in history. "Toller Cranston, The Legacy Paintings" will be displayed in Alberta Canada from November 16th to February 28th 2024. The exhibition features a selection of the more than 100 paintings and three-dimensional artworks that Toller created.

Art Evolution is an International Fine Art company operating major exhibitions and public art installations around the World. Art Evolution represents many famous artists and is currently holding the largest Salvador Dali sculpture exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere.

Phillippa Cranston Baran (BA, Queens University, MA, UCLA) is a media-savvy communicator, award-winning producer, writer, former university film professor and educator.

Her new book, Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint, Passion, published by Sutherland House will be released in February 2024.

Toller made significant contributions to the artistic enrichment of Canadian culture for over five decades and is regarded as a Canadian Icon. Toller is widely acknowledged to have changed the sport of figure skating by introducing creativity, artistry, and expression.

He was Canadian National Champion six times (1971-1976), World and Olympic Bronze Medalist, and won the International Skating Association (ISU) Award for Most Creative Skater of the 20th Century. He is a member of the Canada Sports Hall of Fame, and the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Toller received the Order of Canada in 1977, holds an Honorary Doctorate from Carleton University and is included in Canada's Walk of Fame.

Exhibition dates: November 16^th 2023 – February 28^th 2024
Location: Art Evolution Gallery 208 -1^st St West Cochrane Alberta T4C-1B7
Website: www.artevolution.com

Contact: To receive further information or to arrange an interview with Phillippa Cranston Baran and / or Christopher Talbot please email info@artevolution.com