Lot 16
Harold Barling Town (1924-1990)
Lot 16 Details
Harold Barling Town (1924-1990), Canadian
UNTITLED, 1955
Colour single autographic print on thin paper with partial visible watermark “...bonded” laid down to a cardboard support; signed and dated “- 55 ” in black ink to margin
Image 20" x 15.75" — 50.8 x 40 cm.
Estimate $1,000-$1,500
Additional Images
Provenance:
Estate Collection, Toronto
Note:
In 1954, Harold Town was a leading member of the Abstract Expressionist movement, Painters Eleven. The Group held their first exhibition at the Roberts Gallery in Toronto in 1954.
Beginning in 1953, Town developed a complex and innovative process to make the monotypes he called “single autographic prints”. Examples of his novel printing approach captured the interest of gallery owner, Douglas Duncan, who presented a selection in Town’s first Toronto solo show at the Picture Loan Society. The National Gallery of Canada acquired two for their collection and in 1956, the Art Gallery of Toronto (now The Art Gallery of Ontario) acquired three. Using a lithographic stone already inked he used a series of inked paper cut-outs to mask off negative shapes. Since the ink was required to dry between pulls, Town worked on several prints in parallel over a period of days.