Sold for: $15,000

PROVENANCE
Carmen Lamanna Gallery, Toronto
Moore Gallery Ltd., Toronto, 1994
Private Collection, Victoria

LITERATURE
Canada: Ron Martin, Henry Saxe, National Gallery of Canada, 1977, page 12

Throughout his career, Ontario-based artist Ron Martin explored how paint could become the subject matter of a work of art. In the early 1970s, Martin began to lay his canvas flat and experiment with various paint applications. From 1974 to 1981 he created a series of monochromatic Black Paintings, with application techniques evolving from vigorously gestural to thinly scraped, and finally to dried and textured accumulations. Throughout the series, he would create self-imposed restrictions, such as a set timeframe or volume of paint. In introducing these slight process modifications to the simple monochromatic template, the nuances of the Black Painting beg to be scrutinized for their material complexity. In regard to works of this period, Martin stated: “the material takes on its own character apart from anything I might have done.” In 1978, Martin represented Canada at the Venice Bienniale, exhibiting eleven Black Paintings.

Martin’s work has been exhibited in top international galleries, including Michael Werner Gallery in New York City, and has been the subject of solo exhibitions at numerous museums, including the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (1976 and 1989); the Vancouver Art Gallery (1989); the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (1990); and the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art (1991). In 2012, Martin was awarded the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars

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