The Canada Auction

June 0409, 2022
Auction begins to close at 8:00 pm ET

Online Auction
LOT 42

Lot 42

MOLLY LAMB BOBAK, R.C.A. (1920-2014)

MOLLY LAMB BOBAK, R.C.A. (1920-2014)
Lot 42 Details
MOLLY LAMB BOBAK, R.C.A. (1920-2014)

SKY

oil on Masonite
signed; signed and titled on the reverse; titled to gallery label on the reverse
16 ins x 24 ins; 40.6 cms x 61 cms

Estimate $6,000-$9,000

Realised: $9,060
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Additional Images
MOLLY LAMB BOBAK, R.C.A. (1920-2014)
  • MOLLY LAMB BOBAK, R.C.A. (1920-2014)
  • MOLLY LAMB BOBAK, R.C.A. (1920-2014)
  • MOLLY LAMB BOBAK, R.C.A. (1920-2014)
  • MOLLY LAMB BOBAK, R.C.A. (1920-2014)
Provenance:

Walter Klinkhoff Gallery, Montreal, QC;
Corporate collection, Toronto, ON

Note:

Sky showcases one of Bobak’s most popular subjects: the crowd. While this interest became evident during her time in the Canadian Women’s Army Corps, she explained, “I think that it is an interest I have had ever since I was a kid. I simply love gatherings, mingling... It’s like little ants crawling, the sort of insignificance and yet the beauty of people all getting together.”[1] During periods spent living abroad, Bobak thrilled at painting lively scenes and streetscapes. Biographer Michelle Gewurtz notes that “after the birth of her second child, Anny, [Bobak] found it easier to focus on city vistas populated by groups of people, where detail became secondary to a sense of bustling life.” [2]

Bobak’s mature work saw increased facility as a colourist. Curator Cindy Richmond writes that “the underlying drabness of greyed blues and mat greens and browns gives way to sharper splashes of red and yellow and pink, and these new colours increase the dramatic intensity of the pictures markedly…Molly began to achieve greater control over her use of colour, and also to integrate it more effectively into the architectural structure of her pictures.” [3]

(1) Michelle Gewurtz. Molly Lamb Bobak: Life & Work. (Toronto: Art Canada Institute, 2018), 20.
(2) Gewurtz, 42.
(3) Cindy Richmond. Molly Lamb Bobak: A Retrospective. (Regina: MacKenzie Art Gallery, 1993), 41.

CONDITION DETAILS

Overall very good condition.

Please contact the specialist for further condition information.

LOT 42
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About Condition Ratings

  • 5 Stars: Excellent - No discernable damage, flaws or imperfections
  • 4 Stars: Very Good - Minor flaws or imperfections visible only under close inspection using specialised instruments or black light
  • 3 Stars: Good - Minor flaws visible upon inspection under standard lighting
  • 2 Stars: Fair - Exhibits flaws or damage that may draw the eye under standard lighting
  • 1 Star: Poor - Flaws or damage immediately apparent under standard lighting (examples: missing components, rips, broken glass, damaged surfaces, etc.)

Note: Condition ratings and condition details are the subjective opinions of our specialists and should be used as a guide only. Waddington’s uses due care when preparing condition details, however, our staff are not professional restorers or conservators. Condition details and reports are not warranties and each lot is sold “as is” in accordance with the buyer’s terms and conditions of sale. In all cases the prospective purchaser is responsible for inspecting the property themselves prior to placing a bid.