Harold Klunder

Harold Klunder (born 1943) is a Canadian painter.
Born in Deventer, the Netherlands, he immigrated with his family to Canada in 1952. He studied art at Central Technical School, Toronto. 
Klunder is principally known for his abstract paintings which are based on a non-traditional notion of "the self-portrait". They often feature an abundant use of paint, applied in layers, and take years to complete. He began using oils in 1980 instead of acrylic, thus increasing the sense of materiality of the paint. His use of an expressionist element was in touch with international painting. In about 1997, his work became more open and brighter, but still suggested figural elements.
His work has been widely exhibited, both in Canada and abroad. In 1996, the Tom Thomson Memorial Gallery in Owen Sound organized an exhibition, as did Museum London in 1999. In 2020, his work was included in " Painting Nature with a Mirror", a group show from the collection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. His work is also included in public collections such as the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador. He was made a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
In 1994, he began to teach at Memorial University of Newfoundland and in 1997-1998, he taught at University of Lethbridge, Alberta.
Personal life.
In 1983, he moved to Flesherton, Ontario, northwest of Toronto. In 1980, he moved to Montreal where he lives now with his partner Catherine Carmichael and best friend/artist Shane West. His daughter Saskia Carmichael Klunder, actress/dancer, lives in Montreal, Quebec, and Elizabeth Carmichael Klunder lives in Toronto, Ontario. 
Klunder also has a son, Willem Klunder, living in Europe (from a previous marriage).