16 Squares
Sylvia Tait is a Vancouver-based contemporary abstract painter known for her dynamic colour-field compositions and expressive use of form. Working primarily in acrylic and mixed media, Tait creates layered, gestural works that explore the emotional and structural relationships between colour, shape, and space.
Tait studied at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts School of Art and Design, where she trained under influential Canadian modernists and developed a strong foundation in both figurative and abstract practices. Her early career included exhibitions in Montreal and Mexico before relocating to the West Coast in the late 1960s, where she became an important presence in Vancouver’s evolving contemporary art scene.
Tait’s work functions as a visual language of emotion and energy. Her compositions are defined by bold colour relationships, geometric structures, and fragmented forms that shift between order and spontaneity.
Music, poetry, and lived experience play a central role in Tait’s practice. Her works frequently reference rhythm and structure, with forms interacting like voices in conversation, balancing control with intuition, creating surfaces that feel both deliberate and emotionally charged .
Since the 1950s, Tait has exhibited extensively across Canada and internationally, and has maintained a long-standing relationship with Bau-Xi Gallery since 1977. Her work is held in numerous public and corporate collections, including the Vancouver Art Gallery, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, and the Canada Council Art Bank, as well as collections throughout Europe, Asia, and North America .
Tait’s paintings are often presented unframed, while works on paper are framed under glass. Custom framing is available, inquire with a gallery associate to learn more.