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LOT 032

P11 RCA
1926 - 1998
Canadian

Aerodynamics
oil on board
signed and dated 1952
36 x 48 in, 91.4 x 121.9 cm

Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD

Sold for: $88,500

Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave

PROVENANCE
Eglinton Gallery, Toronto
Acquired from the above by a Private Collection, Toronto, 1954
Canadian Art Group, Toronto
Private Collection, Toronto

LITERATURE
Robert Belton, The Theatre of the Self: The Life and Art of William Ronald, 1999, listed page 131
William Ronald, interview by Richard Brown Baker, April 18 – June 2, 1963, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-william-ronald-11973, accessed August 16, 2016

EXHIBITED
Eglinton Gallery, Toronto, Paintings: Karl May, William Ronald, March 1954


In 1963, William Ronald was the subject of a candid and wide-ranging interview recorded in New York City for the Archives of American Art. The interviewer introduced Ronald as a Canadian-born American painter—which was then accurate, since the artist had become a US citizen while living in New York and Princeton. Ronald revealed that paintings by the American artist Bradley Walker Tomlin (1899 – 1953) had an important influence on his earliest abstract works. Even while studying with Hans Hoffman in 1952, Ronald was emulating Tomlin's "all-over manner, using the full area of the canvas..." In the interview he states that "there are only six or eight" Ronald paintings from this period in existence. Here we find design elements reminiscent of Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee as well as hints of calligraphic shapes from his studies at the Ontario College of Art. This rare, lively 1952 work tells us a great deal about the young artist who was aiming to make his mark in the early post-war era, in what was then the centre of the universe for a gifted, ambitious painter.


Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD

All prices are in Canadian Dollars


Although great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information posted, errors and omissions may occur. All bids are subject to our Terms and Conditions of Business. Bidders must ensure they have satisfied themselves with the condition of the Lot prior to bidding. Condition reports are available upon request.