Gregory Richard Curnoe
(1936 - 1992)
Previously Sold Works
GREGORY RICHARD CURNOE
Study for America
watercolour
signed and dated “June 1989-January 18/19 1990” in the lower right margin; titled and dated to two labels on the reverse
28.5 x 22 ins ( 72.4 x 55.9 cms ) ( sheet )
Auction Estimate: $12,000.00 - $15,000.00
Price Realized $12,000.00
Sale date: June 8th 2023
GREGORY RICHARD CURNOE
Thermometer #2
collage, stamp-pad ink on paper, Plexiglas, screws, cup-washers, screw eye on painted wood
dated “June 30/67” towards lower edge; titled and dated June 30, 1967 on the reverse
34 x 8.25 x 1 ins ( 86.4 x 21 x 2.5 cms ) ( overall )
Auction Estimate: $6,000.00 - $8,000.00
Price Realized $8,850.00
Sale date: May 28th 2019
GREGORY RICHARD CURNOE
Moustache #9 (1965)
collage, stamp-pad ink on paper, Plexiglass, screws, cup-washers, screw eye on painted wood
date stamped “Dec. 5, 1965” lower centre
8.5 x 18 ins ( 21.6 x 45.7 cms )
Auction Estimate: $5,000.00 - $7,000.00
Price Realized $4,708.00
Sale date: November 19th 2019
GREGORY RICHARD CURNOE
Untitled (Canadian Flag)
stamp ink, gouache and graphite on paper
dated October 19, 1980 upper right
4 x 7 ins ( 10.2 x 17.8 cms )
Price Realized $2,300.00
Sale date: July 20th 2017
GREGORY RICHARD CURNOE
Self-Portrait
watercolour
signed lower left and inscribed “Sept 6 & 7 1986 / Nov 11 1987 / Apr 20 1988 / June 27 1988” on the upper right edge
7 x 5 ins ( 17.8 x 12.7 cms ) ( sheet )
Auction Estimate: $5,000.00 - $7,000.00
Price Realized $5,400.00
Sale date: May 30th 2023
GREGORY RICHARD CURNOE
Hess Cottage/Ducharme Beach/Zoe; Side Yard, August 2nd-6th, 1990
two watercolours
- “Hess Cottage/Ducharme Beach/Zoe” (watercolour and pencil on paper, signed, titled and dated “August 19-20, 1986” upper right, 9.25 x 12.5 inches [sheet]);
- Side Yard, August 2nd-6th, 1990 (watercolour and pencil, signed upper right, dated “August 2nd-6th, 1990” lower left, 7 x 10.25 inches [sheet])
9.25 x 12.5 ins ( 23.5 x 31.8 cms ) ( largest (sheet) )
Auction Estimate: $500.00 - $700.00
Price Realized $2,880.00
Sale date: December 15th 2020
GREGORY RICHARD CURNOE
Nadir Again
watercolour
signed lower left, titled and dated 1978 lower right
9 x 6 ins ( 22.9 x 15.2 cms ) ( sheet )
Price Realized $1,800.00
Sale date: July 7th 2017
GREGORY RICHARD CURNOE
Lily Pond and Flower Garden (1985)
pen and ink on paper
titled and dated “July 2-4 1985” lower right
17.5 x 23.5 ins ( 44.5 x 59.7 cms )
Auction Estimate: $2,000.00 - $3,000.00
Price Realized $2,065.00
Sale date: September 26th 2018
GREGORY RICHARD CURNOE
Homage to Sam Langford
ten lithographs on arches paper
Ten lithographs: one three-colour lithograph, with hand-stamped fourth colour, on Arches paper (cover page); two seven-colour, five six-colour, and two five-colour lithographs on Arches paper
each lithograph with a stamped signature, numbered “15/50” and inscribed “NS109” through “NS112” on the reverse; presented within “The Maple Leaf Foolscap Tablet” cover which is titled and dated “Feb 1/70” lower centre; unframed
Collaborating Printer: Robert Rogers
12.75 x 7.75 ins ( 32.4 x 19.7 cms ) ( sheet )
Auction Estimate: $1,500.00 - $2,000.00
Price Realized $1,920.00
Sale date: November 7th 2023
GREGORY RICHARD CURNOE
Facing South, Sauble Beach
watercolour
signed, titled and dated “June 6, 1983” upper left; unframed (matted)
9 x 12 ins ( 22.9 x 30.5 cms ) ( sheet )
Auction Estimate: $1,500.00 - $2,000.00
Price Realized $1,560.00
Sale date: January 31st 2023
GREGORY RICHARD CURNOE
Hockey Stick Blades From West Lion Park, London (from the “Toronto 20 Portfolio”), 1965
mixed media print
signed, titled, dated “Aug /65” and numbered “96/100” in the lower margin; titled and dated to a gallery label on the reverse
26 x 20 in ( 66 x 50.8 cm ) ( sheet )
Auction Estimate: $1,000.00 - $1,500.00
Price Realized $900.00
Sale date: May 21st 2024
GREGORY RICHARD CURNOE
Myself Walking North in the Tweed Coat
silkscreen
a Markgraf reproduction; light scuffing present
30 x 20 ins ( 76.2 x 50.8 cms )
Auction Estimate: $600.00 - $800.00
Price Realized $230.00
Sale date: June 14th 2017
Consignments
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Greg Curnoe Biography
(1936 - 1992)
Born in London, Ontario in 1936, Greg Curnoe was a fervent regionalist visual artist and musician who championed the distinct voice of Canadian locales and London, Ontario, specifically. He attended Beal Technical School (1954-1956) and the Doon School of Art (1956) before attending the Ontario College of Art (1957-1960) then returned to London in 1960.
While still attending Beal Tech he became interested in Dada art and joined the Société Pour L’Etude Du Movement Dada since he himself became dedicated to attacking existing standards of the establishment bound by international styles of art. Taking the opposite pole, Curnoe freed himself from this concern by choosing his subjects immediately around him and rejoicing in a people’s art he encountered in everyday personal experiences.
One can find in his work the elements of constructivism, op art, pop art, dadaism and comic-strip-like marriage of words and pictures, a facet of art which has been his keen interest from his earliest years (his childhood ambition was to be a cartoonist). Curnoe’s work is drawn together by colours ranging from a brilliant carnival-like intensity to softer blends of browns, oranges, pinks, greens, etc.
In an article on Curnoe’s work in Saturday Night, Barry Hale in 1970 gave this description, “Curnoe’s paintings are as immediate in their impact as superlative, blown-up comic books; they are figurative, but not ‘realistic’ - the outlines (in general) are hard edged, there is no modelling, and large, brilliant colour areas collide and vibrate to achieve a hotly overwhelming whole. Like comics, they are printed all over the works, in various manners – words as labels, or self-contained statements like cartoon-balloons; they may surround the picture frame and lead off the right edge (like the narrative print of a cartoon strip), or simply exist in conjunction as a kind of concrete poetry – so , as well as their hot impact, Curnoe’s paintings have a McLuhanesque cool, they must be read, with all the self-involvement that reading implies.”
In addition to his painting, Curnoe was involved in many other fields, including nihilist politics, writing, film making, pop music and non music. In 1961 he began publishing the magazine “Region” with friends, as his commitment to regionalism intensified. They also opened the Region Gallery. He co-founded the Association for the Documentation of Neglected Aspects of Culture in Canada and co-founded the Canadian Artist’s Representation (a national association of Canadian artists growing in stature); the Nihilist Party of London, a good natured group of hecklers of establishment parties (all members with equal say, no leader). His work was first recognized by Ronald Bloore in 1961 when Bloore was a juror of a show and awarded Curnoe a prize.
Curnoe went on to represent Canada at the Venice Biennale in 1976 and had a retrospective at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 1981, which then travelled across Canada. Though the artist’s work has influences of Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art and even musicality, Curnoe rooted his practice in the regional visual language of his native London and greater Canada. He is represented in the National Gallery of Canada, Vancouver Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
Sources: "A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, Volume I: A-F", compiled by Colin S. MacDonald, Canadian Paperbacks Publishing Ltd, Ottawa, 1977