LOT 032

P11 RCA
1926 - 1998
Canadian

Gypsy
oil on canvas
signed and signed faintly and dated 1959 and on verso signed, titled, dated 20/11/59 and inscribed "R-153" and "#6"
70 x 60 in, 177.8 x 152.4 cm

Estimate: $60,000 - $80,000 CAD

Sold for: $97,250

Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave

PROVENANCE
Kootz Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Ontario, 1962

LITERATURE
Dennis Reid, Toronto Painting: 1953 - 1965, National Gallery of Canada, 1972, reproduced on the front cover and inside, unpaginated
Barry Callaghan and Kay Woods, Ronald: 25 Years, the Robert McLaughlin Gallery, 1975, listed, unpaginated
Evelyn Blakeman, "Descriptions Suit Artist and His Work," The Edmonton Journal, December 20, 1975, reproduced, unpaginated
Joan Lowndes, "Ronald Rides His Wave," The Vancouver Sun, February 16, 1976, reproduced page 19

EXHIBITED
Laing Galleries, Toronto, William Ronald, New Paintings, March 26 - April 9, 1960
Art Gallery of Toronto, Toronto Collects, 1961
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Toronto Painting: 1953 - 1965, traveling to the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 1972, catalogue #24
Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, Ronald: 25 Years, traveling to the Musée d'art contemporain, Montreal; Rodman Hall Arts Centre, St. Catharines; Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton; Confederation Centre Art Gallery & Museum, Charlottetown; Edmonton Art Gallery; Burnaby Art Gallery; and the Art Gallery of Windsor, 1975 - 1976


Though William Ronald was a member of the Toronto-based abstractionist group Painters Eleven, he lived in New York from 1955 to 1965 and formally broke with the group in 1957. That same year he had his first exhibition at the legendary Kootz Gallery in New York, a gallery that represented renowned artists Hans Hofmann, Franz Kline, Mark Rothko and Helen Frankenthaler. Ronald's New York paintings are typically characterized by a strong central image, such as the record-setting painting Drumbeat, sold by Heffel in 2008. Gypsy, painted in 1959, continues with the central image theme Ronald was becoming known for, while also transitioning to the use of more circular imagery, which would continue throughout his career and most notably in the Prime Ministers series. This extraordinary work was chosen to represent the important exhibition Toronto Painting: 1953 - 1965 on the cover of the show’s catalogue. Organized by the National Gallery of Canada and traveling to the Art Gallery of Ontario, this show included over 90 of Toronto’s best works from that period, curated by Dennis Reid.


Estimate: $60,000 - $80,000 CAD

All prices are in Canadian Dollars


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