The Silent Auction

George Ellis Russell (January 23, 1933 – May 8, 2016) was a Canadian painter and art teacher known for his philanthropy.

Russell was a relatively obscure figure until 2015 when he was contacted by the development director of Quebec Arthritis Society, Elizabeth Kennell. He had been a long time monetary donor to the charity and Kennell inquired about a painting donation.^[1] When Russell offered to donate his entire collection, Kennell reached out to Yolande Racine, a former curator at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, for her opinion. Racine confirmed that Russell was an "accomplished artist [who] has created a composition code oscillating between the expression of reality and illusion, between the figurative and the abstract." Alan Klinkoff, the owner of a gallery specializing in Canadian art also judged Russell to be "a highly accomplished artistic talent."^[2] The Arthritis Society ended up raising $70,000 from the sale of his work.^[3]

Russell died from cancer on May 8, 2016 in Laval, Quebec.^[4]