Additional Images

Provenance:

The Isaacs Gallery Ltd., Toronto
Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON
Private Collection, Toronto

Exhibited:

'Greg Curnoe: A Proposed Referendum Question and Five Series', solo exhibition, February 18 – March 10, 1978, Isaacs Gallery, Toronto
'Greg Curnoe Drawings', 1977, Forest City Gallery, London, ON

Note:

Self Portrait #3 is from a series of seven self-portraits that Greg Curnoe made in early 1977. The straight-on portraits from this series are direct and unflinching, featuring the colours from the Ethiopian flag: red, gold and green. What is Curnoe trying to tell the viewer about himself, his
country, and his love of music in these portraits? The unassuming line drawing is layered with multiple meanings. 

“Did Gaucher know that he was painting the rasta colours?” is written in a speech bubble, an ode to his love of comic books growing up. Gaucher—most likely a reference to Canadian abstract artist, Yves Gaucher, who painted in the distinct tri-colours of the Ethiopian flag— is at first misspelled and crossed out. The self-portrait, evidence of editing, and nod to Gaucher creates a significant meta-referential work, one that embodies Curnoe’s practice and textual fascination with Canadian culture, as well as his love of reggae music. 

The artwork is framed in an original plexiglass frame that Curnoe repurposed, the plexi frame became his signature way of framing key works on paper.


We thank Tatum Dooley for contributing this essay. Tatum Dooley is a writer and curator who lives in Toronto. She has written for Artforum, Bordercrossings, Canadian Art, Garage Magazine, the Globe & Mail, Lapham’s Quarterly, and The Walrus. Dooley has curated shows at Dianna Witte Gallery, General Hardware, and the Drake Devonshire (upcoming). In 2018, she founded the Instagram account and newsletter Canadian Art Forecast.

Yves Gaucher's Green, Yellow/Red, 1ière Version