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British Columbia artist and first Sobey Art Award winner Brian Jungen
wins Iskowitz Prize
Artist Brian Jungen of Vancouver has won the 2010 Iskowitz Prize which is awarded annually by the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Iskowitz Foundation founded by the late Canadian artist Gershon Iskowitz. Established in 1985, the aim of the prize is to raise the profile of the visual arts in Canada. Jungen, known for his exploration of consumer and native or indigenous cultures, is perhaps best known for his stunning West Coast-style masks in the Haida tradition but made from Nike Air Jordan sneakers. Jungen has used such diverse items as white plastic lawn chairs (to create full-size whale skeletons) and brand-name golf bags (to make totem poles). Since receiving the Sobey Art Award, Brian Jungen’s work has been seen across Canada and in Europe (at Tate Britain) and in the USA.
- from CBC Arts
Paintings away for conservation treatment
Two paintings originally acquired by Frank and Irene Sobey are away from The Crombie until mid-summer 2010, receiving conservation treatment. This is part of the Foundation’s ongoing focus of maintaining the collection in the best possible condition.
Quidi Vidi, Newfoundland, 1921, is a small oil-on-board sketch by Lawren Harris which has never received treatment. The varnish on this painting is deteriorating and will be removed and the painting re-varnished. This painting dates from Harris’ tour of the east coast after the First World War and shortly after the first Group of Seven exhibition in Toronto in May 1920. That same visit inspired Harris to paint dramatic images of Halifax and Cape Breton houses. This little oil sketch reflects the stark Newfoundland landscape near St John’s.
The second painting currently away from The Crombie is Milkmaid, an oil-on-canvas work by Horatio Walker. Painted in the Barbizon style fashionable over a century ago, Milkmaid is a good example of this now not-so-popular style. Its subject reflects physical labour of milking cattle at the end of the day, a subject with which Frank Sobey was probably quite familiar. During his lifetime the painting hung over his chair in the main sitting room, and while other paintings could be moved about this painting could not be touched!
The original canvas was reinforced many years ago with a lining that was glued in place; this glue lining is now placing considerable strain on the original canvas. It will be removed and a less restrictive canvas lining put in its place.
More news & events
For more news and events please visit the Sobey Art Award section of the AGNS website. |
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