Greg Curnoe

Greg Curnoe (Canadian, 1936–1992), a master of "pop" imagery, worked in London, Ontario for most of his life and was the driving force behind a regionalist sensibility that, beginning in the 1960s, made London an important centre for artistic production in Canada. While his oeuvre chronicled his own daily experience in a variety of media, it was grounded in twentieth-century art movements, especially Dada, with its emphasis on nihilism and anarchism, Canadian politics and popular culture. Curnoe was one of the emblematic Canadian naturalist artists of the 1960s and 1970s and his brightly coloured works often incorporated text to support his strong Canadian patriotism as well as his activism in support of Canadian artists. He was tragically killed while biking, an activity which inspired many of his works.

Curnoe studied art at Kitchener’s Doon School of Fine Arts (1956) and the Ontario College of Art in Toronto (1957-1960). After returning to London, Curnoe co-organized the first art “happening” (1962), co-founded Region Magazine (1961-90), Region Gallery (1962-63) and the Forest City Gallery (1973- ), and co-founded the Nihilist Spasm Band (1965), a collection of artists that created “music” on homemade instruments. In 1968, along with Jack Chambers, Tony Urquhart and Kim Ondaatje, Curnoe became one of the first members of CARFAC, an artist collective that advocates for artists’ rights. Beginning in the early 1960s, Curnoe exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally, including as Canada’s representative at the Sao Paulo Bienal (1969) and the Venice Biennale (1976). His work is included in the collections of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, National Gallery of Canada, Oakville Galleries, Vancouver Art Gallery and many other prominent public and private collections.