Canadian artists grapple with U.S. tariffs, find new buyers amid trade war

CANADA Canadian artists grapple with U.S. tariffs, find new buyers amid trade war By Rachel Morgan Global News Posted September 22, 2026 6:00 am 5 min read WATCH: Select Canadian goods hit by new U.S. tariffs LEAVE A COMMENT SHARE THIS ITEM ON FACEBOOK SHARE THIS ITEM ON X SEND THIS PAGE TO SOMEONE VIA EMAIL SEE MORE SHARING OPTIONS DESCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE INCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE Michael Harrington never thought his art was something that would be subject to tariffs at the Canada-U.S. border. The Ottawa-based narrative painter has been working with galleries and dealers to show and sell his work full time for roughly three decades. He said the industry has felt like a rollercoaster from the 2008 recession to the COVID-19 pandemic and now unprecedented tariffs on Canadian goods. “Art, it’s always traveled without tariffs, without tax. It’s because art is so complicated, like what is art and what’s original art,” Harrington told Global News. U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff regime has become his biggest worry. As part of a new round of tariffs imposed at the end of April, a 50 per cent tariff now applies to a range of visual arts, crafts and natural materials made in Canada, including paintings. Other items that became subject to tariffs include drawings, original prints, original sculptures, jewelry, textiles and items made from raw furskins, leather, bone, horn and antler. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT Harrington has held exhibitions in the U.S. before, but when he was offered the opportunity to do a show at a Boston gallery in November, he was especially excited to expand his reach. That was until he found out that someone would be on the hook to pay tariffs on each piece of art that crossed the border, even before it was sold. View image in full screen Michael Harrington is an Ottawa-based narrative painter. Courtesy: Michael Harrington “I wasn’t going to do that and I certainly wasn’t going to accept if [the gallery] were to do that,” he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT Harrington has connections with art dealers in Canada and said they sell his pieces across the country and in Europe. But losing barrier-free access to the U.S. market still hurts. Get daily Montreal news Get daily Montreal news delivered to your inbox so you'll never miss the day's top stories. SIGN UP FOR DAILY MONTREAL NEWSLETTER GET STARTED BY PROVIDING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO GLOBAL NEWS' TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY…