CGP CSPWC OSA P11
1901 - 1967
Canadian
Untitled
oil on board, circa 1953 - 1955
signed
20 1/2 x 39 1/2 in, 52.1 x 100.3 cm
Estimate: $18,000 - $24,000 CAD
Sold for: $21,060
Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Toronto
Alexandra Luke played a significant role in the development of abstract art in Canada. Luke was from a wealthy family and was known as a supporter of modernism in Oshawa. In 1952, aware that abstract art lacked exposure, she became a leading organizer of the first Canadian Abstract Exhibition. It was at Luke’s lakeshore studio at Oshawa in 1953 that the important modernist group Painters Eleven was founded. In her own painting, a turning point occurred during a 1938 trip to New Mexico, where the vibrant art communities of Santa Fe and Taos were the base for the abstractionist Transcendental Painting Group. By 1943, Luke was transitioning to abstraction. Around 1945 she experimented with automatic drawing, then in 1947 enrolled in the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts in Massachusetts, further accelerating her development under this influential teacher. Luke was known for her rich impasto, seen here in Untitled, which also includes strong contrasts between dark and light. This striking painting radiates vitality, its colour planes criss-crossed by streaks and daubs of paint, which activate a sensation of force.
Estimate: $18,000 - $24,000 CAD
All prices are in Canadian Dollars
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