The Art Gallery of Ontario, with its collection of more than 80,000 works, is one of the largest art museums in North America, and tucked away in the Prints and Drawings section on the first floor is the Walter Trier Gallery.
In 1929, Trier was introduced to a young Erich Kästner, a journalist looking to publish his first children’s book. Trier illustrated the book, “Emil und die Detektive” (“Emil and the Detectives”), which became an instant hit and remains a classic of children’s literature. Trier and Kästner’s working relationship lasted 25 years and resulted in over a dozen works, including most of Kästner’s best-known works, such as “Das fliegende Klassenzimmer” (“The Flying Classroom”) and “Das doppelte Lottchen” (“Lottie and Lisa”, which was the inspiration for the movie “The Parent Trap”).
Trier and his wife immigrated to Ontario in 1947 to be closer to their daughter. He continued his career as an illustrator in Canada, where he designed advertisements and contributed to exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Ontario and the University of Toronto until his unexpected death in 1951. The AGO's Walter Trier Gallery is devoted to his work and to satirical illustrations by other artists. It was supported by a gift from the Trier-Fodor Foundation of over 1100 pieces by Trier.