I am greatly indebted to my friend and former colleague Matthew Teitelbaum, who, by inviting me to catalogue the archives of Jack Chambers and Greg Curnoe twenty-one years ago, started me on my journey through the lives and work of these two important artists. In my academic career, I have appreciated the guidance and friendship of three supportive professors—the late José Barrio-Garay, Madeline Lennon, and Dennis Reid.
Sheila Curnoe has been generous and knowledgeable in her encouragement over many years.
This project has been collaborative, with many people contributing to its final form. James Patten and Brian Lambert, McIntosh Gallery; Janette Cousins Ewan, Museum London; Jennie Kraehling, Michael Gibson Gallery; Bill Exley; and Glen Curnoe were all thoughtful in their response to many, many questions. Geoffrey James, Jamelie Hassan, Ron Benner, Wyn Geleynse, Ed Zelenak, Jason McLean, Fern Helfand, Beverley Lambert, and Paul Butler provided invaluable memories and perceptions. My discussions with James King, who is writing Greg Curnoe’s biography, were enlightening. I very much appreciated the comments of the anonymous peer reviewer.
I was honoured to be asked to write about Greg Curnoe by Anna Hudson, and have appreciated the support of many others at ACI—Sara Angel, whose commitment to Curnoe’s work has been heartening; Lucy Kenward, my dedicated and patient editor; and Kendra Ward, Cliodna Cussen, Eva Lu, and Simone Wharton and Steven Boyle—who have worked so very diligently to ensure that this book is the best that it can be. As I prepared this volume, I relied on the scholarship of a legion of scholars, curators, critics, and artists who, since 1961, have written with insight about Greg Curnoe.
I am especially grateful to my family, particularly my husband, Wilson, and my mother, Mildred Maclean, who never complained about the hours I spent on this endeavour.
From the Art Canada Institute
This online art book was made possible thanks to its Lead Sponsor: Rosamond Ivey. Much gratitude goes to the Founding Sponsor for the Canadian Online Art Book Project: BMO Financial Group.
The Art Canada Institute gratefully acknowledges the other sponsors for the 2016–17 Season: Aimia, Kiki Delaney, The Scott Griffin Foundation, The McLean Foundation, and TD Bank.
Thanks also to the Art Canada Institute Founding Patrons: Jalynn H. Bennett, the Butterfield Family Foundation, David and Vivian Campbell, Albert E. Cummings, Kiki and Ian Delaney, the Fleck Family, Roger and Kevin Garland, the Gershon Iskowitz Foundation, The Scott Griffin Foundation, Michelle Koerner and Kevin Doyle, Phil Lind, Sarah and Tom Milroy, Nancy McCain and Bill Morneau, Gerald Sheff and Shanitha Kachan, Sandra L. Simpson, Pam and Mike Stein, and Robin and David Young, Sara and Michael Angel; as well as its Founding Partner Patrons: The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and Partners in Art.
The ACI gratefully acknowledges the support and assistance of the Art Gallery of Alberta (Rochelle Ball); Art Gallery of Ontario (Amy Furness and Tracy Mallon-Jensen); Art Museum at the University of Toronto (Justine Kicek and Heather Pigat); CCCA Canadian Art Database (Bill Kirby); Dalhousie Art Gallery (Sym Corrigan); Heffel Fine Art Auction House (Lauren Kratzer) John Labatt Visual Arts Centre at Western University (Susan Edelstein and John Hatch); London Public Library (Arthur McClelland); MacKenzie Art Gallery (Marie Olinik); McIntosh Gallery (Catherine Elliot Shaw and Brian Lambert); Michael Gibson Gallery (Jennie Kraehling); Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (Lesley Johnstone, Lucie Rivest, and Anne-Marie Zeppetelli); Museum London (Janette Cousins Ewan); National Gallery of Canada (Raven Amiro, Emily Antler, Cyndie Campbell, Philip Dombowsky, Veronique Malouin, and Kristin Rothschild); Sotheby’s Canada (Marie Jo Paquet and Barbara Waginski); TD Bank Group (Robyn McCallum); Thielsen Gallery (Jens Thielsen); Toronto Public Library; University of Toronto Press (Lisa Jemison); Vancouver Art Gallery (Danielle Currie); Winnipeg Art Gallery (Nicole Fletcher); Wynick/Tuck Gallery (Lynne Wynick); and Nicholas Brown, John Chambers, Morris Dalla Costa, Glen Curnoe, Lynda Curnoe, Sheila Curnoe, Christopher Dew, David Homer, Mark Kasumovic, Ian MacEachern, Ian Ross, Stephen Smart, Esther Vincent, and Megan Walker.
Image Sources
Every effort has been made to secure permissions for all copyrighted material. The Art Canada Institute will gladly correct any errors or omissions.
Credit for Banner Images
Biography: Photograph of Greg Curnoe and a Whipper’s Beverage bottle with TransCanada Pop Bottle Collection in background. From James Reaney, “Greg Curnoe’s Pop Art,” London Magazine, Oct/Nov 1980. Photograph by David Homer.
Key Works: Greg Curnoe, View of Victoria Hospital, Second Series, February 10, 1969–March 10, 1971. (See below for details.)
Significance & Critical Issues: Greg Curnoe, The Camouflaged Piano or French Roundels, 1965–66. (See below for details.)
Style & Technique: Greg Curnoe, The Camouflaged Piano or French Roundels, 1965–66. (See below for details.)
Credits for Photographs and Works by Other Artists
38 Weston Street, 1995. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of Sheila Curnoe.
Close the 49th Parallel etc.: The Americanization of Canada, Ian Lumsden, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1970. Courtesy of National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives, Ottawa.
Curnoe’s studio in 1988. Photograph by Ian MacEachern. Courtesy of Ian MacEachern.
Cutting Greg Curnoe’s centennial cake, 1967. Courtesy of National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives.
Dick Tracy and the Man with No Face, Chester Gould, Racine, WI: Whitman, 1938. Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books, Toronto Public Library. Photograph by Eva Lu.
Friends at one of Greg Curnoe’s King Street studio parties, 1966. Don Vincent Photo Archive, McIntosh Gallery, Western University, London, Ontario, gift of Bernice Vincent, 2009. Photograph by Don Vincent.
Greg and Sheila Curnoe in the studio, 1988. Courtesy of Ian MacEachern. Photograph by Ian MacEachern.
Greg Curnoe’s studio with Moustache #14, one of the Greg Curnoe cutout collages, c. 1968. Don Vincent Photo Archive, McIntosh Gallery, Western University, London. Photograph by Don Vincent.
Greg Curnoe and others at an exhibition of artists from London, Ontario, at Casa de las Américas, Havana, Cuba, 1988. Courtesy of Fern Helfand. Photographer unknown.
Greg Curnoe at work in his King Street studio, 1964. Don Vincent Photo Archive, McIntosh Gallery, Western University, London. Photograph by Don Vincent.
Greg Curnoe, c. 1938. Courtesy of Glen Curnoe. Photographer unknown.
Greg Curnoe creating View of Victoria Hospital, First Series: #1–6, 1968–69. Photograph by Pierre Théberge, September 1, 1968. Courtesy of National Gallery Canada, Ottawa.
Greg Curnoe in his first studio in the basement of his childhood home with self-portrait Selfchildfool, 1959. Don Vincent Photo Archive, McIntosh Gallery, Western University, London. Photograph by Don Vincent.
Greg Curnoe riding one of his bikes outside of his studio at 38 Weston Street, c. 1973. Courtesy of Museum London. Photograph by Bryan Maycock.
Greg Curnoe on the phone in the studio at 38 Weston Street, c. 1988–92. E.P. Taylor Research Library and Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (Fonds Box 85). Photographer unknown.
Greg Curnoe painting Doc Morton, 1975, in his studio at the Western University, London, fall 1975. McIntosh Gallery, Western University, London. Photograph by Dan Miller.
Installing the Young London (A Survey) exhibition at 20/20 Gallery in London, Ontario, c. December 1966. Don Vincent Photo Archive, McIntosh Gallery, Western University, London. Photograph by Don Vincent.
La sirène espagnole, c. 1912, by Cornelis “Kees” Van Dongen. Private collection.
Mz 316 ische gelb (Mz 316 ische Yellow), 1921, by Kurt Schwitters. The Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven (1953.6.71).
Poster for The Celebration, 1962. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Photograph by Michel Lambeth.
Performance documentation of The Celebration, February 3, 1962, at London Public Library and Art Gallery (now Museum London). Don Vincent Photo Archive, McIntosh Gallery, Western University, London. Photograph by Don Vincent.
The Curnoe family at Dingman Creek, c. 1946. Courtesy of Glen Curnoe. Photographer unknown.
The Nihilist Spasm Band at the York Hotel, 1968. Courtesy of Ian MacEachern. Photograph by Ian MacEachern.
Art Canada Institute
Massey College, University of Toronto
4 Devonshire Place
Toronto, ON M5S 2E1
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Rodger, Judith, 1940–, author
Greg Curnoe : life & work / Judith Rodger.
Includes bibliographical references.
Contents: Biography — Key works — Significance & critical issues — Style & technique — Sources & resources — Where to see. Electronic monograph in HTML, PDF and mobile formats.
ISBN 978-1-4871-0101-5 (HTML).—ISBN 978-1-4871-0102-2 (PDF).— ISBN 978-1-4871-0103-9 (MOBILE)
1. Curnoe, Greg, 1936-1992. 2. Curnoe, Greg, 1936-1992—Criticism and interpretation. 3. Painters—Canada—Biography. I. Curnoe, Greg, 1936-1992. Paintings. Selections. II. Art Canada Institute, issuing body III. Title. N6549.C9R64 2016 759.11 C2016-903947-1
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