Frederick Hagan Ladder Series

Date(s)
  • Sep 8, 2026, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Oct 31, 2026, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Event type
Town Event

Frederick Hagan (1918–2003) remains one of Canada’s most vital yet distinct voices in graphic arts, a master lithographer who served as the Head of Printmaking at the Ontario College of Art (now OCAD University) for nearly three decades. Raised in Toronto's working-class Cabbagetown and shaped by early jobs in industrial fabrication, Hagan approached art through a lens of profound empathy for human labor, existential struggle, and social observation. His deeply personal, introspective lithographic works—the Ladder Series bridge the gap between his material reality and his inner psychological landscape. 

This exhibition pulls together Hagan's prints featuring the recurring, powerful motif of the ladder. Rather than treating the ladder simply as a utilitarian tool or an industrial artifact, Hagan weaponizes the form as a profound existential symbol: a bridge between the earthbound realities of human toil and an aspirational, spiritual climb.

Exhibit Dates

Dates: September 8 to October 31, 2026

Exclusion dates: October 3-5, 2026

Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday: 10 to 6 p.m.

Sunday and Monday: Closed

Location/Address
Old Town Hall (460 Botsford Street)
Image
Frederick Hagan artwork of robed man on a ladder surrounded by jester like figures. Art exhibit information displayed on top in white text