An artist, educator, architect, and administrator, George Agnew Reid was instrumental in the creation of Canadian art institutions. Born in rural Ontario, at the insistence of his father, Reid initially studied architecture and bookkeeping. In 1878, Reid began his formal arts education in Toronto which was then continued in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Here, Reid met fellow student and painter Mary Heister, the pair married in 1885. Reid began to teach at the Central Ontario School of Art and Design in 1890. In 1912, when the school became the Ontario College of Art (now OCAD), Reid became its founding principal. In 1921, Mary Hiester Reid died and in 1923 George Reid married Mary Wrinch. Reid was deeply interested in bringing art into public spaces and accomplished several murals in key Toronto locations. These included locations such as City Hall, Jarvis Collegiate, and the Royal Ontario Museum. Reid was instrumental in obtaining permanent funding and staff for Ottawa’s National Gallery as well as a major force in the establishment of the Art Gallery of Toronto (now the AGO).
Source: “Description & Finding Aid: George Agnew Reid Fonds” prepared by Sylvia Lassam, Amy Marshall Furness, Marilyn Nazar, and Jan Speers. Art Gallery of Ontario, E.P. Taylor Research Library and Archives. Accessed October 13, 2025. https://ago.ca/sites/default/files/SC010.pdf
