Charles Pachter



Charles Pachter (born December 30, 1942) is a Canadian contemporary artist. He is a painter, printmaker, sculptor, designer, historian, and lecturer. He studied French literature at the Sorbonne, art history at the University of Toronto, and painting and graphics at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He holds honorary doctorates from Brock University, the Ontario College of Art & Design and the University of Toronto (2010). He was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 1999, and promoted to Officer in 2011.

Pachter's work has been shown at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg. His mural, Hockey Knights in Canada, Les Rois de l'Arène, can be seen at Toronto's College subway station, where the Montreal Canadiens face the Toronto Maple Leafs across the tracks.

Pachter lives and works beside Grange Park in an award-winning residence and studio designed by Stephen Teeple. His work is on permanent display in his adjoining Moose Factory gallery. His work has influenced a generation of young Canadian artists, including the sculptor Harley Valentine. A number of his pieces have also featured Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, and other members of the royal family. Pachter met the Queen at Canada House in 2017. Asked about their conversation, Pachter recounted, "I said, 'Your Majesty, 43 years ago I painted you as the Queen of Canada seated sidesaddle on a moose and, thanks to you, I have made a living all these years.' She beamed and said, 'How amusing!'"

Awards

 * Officer of the Order of Canada
 * Chevalier of France's Order of Arts and Letters
 * Queen's Jubilee medal
 * Order of Ontario