Bill and I spent an enjoyable afternoon at Art Toronto last Monday. We read that the fair did very well this year -- the quality of the work was high and stuff sold well.
The Metro Convention Center is the perfect place for this event. There's lots of room and lots of light. That's the facade of Kent Monkman's The Art Game at the top of the escalators -- a great funhouse!
Come with us as we wander at random.
Bill was attracted to these silhouette, free-standing sculptures by Adam Matak at the Beverley Owens Project booth.
He caught me walking past this Evan Penny sculpture at the Trépanier Baer Gallery booth.
The Daniel Faria Gallery featured new work by Douglas Coupland. One of the gallery staff told me that a couple looking for something for their kid's bedroom were attracted by the bright colours but didn't like the slogans.
Bill and I both love Micah Lexier. This small multiple of acid-etched steel is called One hundred pieces of metal Ken Nicol found on the ground as arranged and transformed and turned into this multiple by me. Its from this year in an edition of 5 plus three artists proofs. Birch Libralato. If you're wondering what to get us for Christmas...
We also fell in love with this patron. Is she wearing Issey Miyake? We like people who make an effort with their appearance. Not everyone wears haut-couture to these art fairs.
One of our favourite discoveries this year was these small paintings by Douglas C. Bloom. We're not familiar with his work at all but we think these are enormously successful. These would also make extremely thoughtful gifts.
See that white rectangle on the left with the little gash in it? Its a painting called The Task II by Liliana Porter (2010).
Here's a detail of that gash. The tag calls the medium "figurine on painted wooden panel with axe marks". Fun, eh? 9 x 12 inches. Carrie Secrist Gallery.
We had a nice talk with Ric Santon, one of the owners of the Parts Gallery. I love that painting behind him -- didn't get the name of the artist.
I like this Markus Linnenbrink. EVERYTHINGIOWNALIVE, 2011. Epoxy resin on wood. 3 x 8 feet.
EVERYTHINGIOWNALIVE (detail)
An Inconvenient Proposal by Aganathea Dyck, 2008-2009. Bee Work on Figurine. Michael Gibson Gallery. We love Dyck's bee work pieces!
This gorgeous Eric Fischl watercolour was $100,000. Staff told me he finished it just recently.
Galerie de Bellefeuille was back this year with their impeccably-dressed staff and their great works by Damien Hirst, Chuck Close, Massimo Vitale and others.
Here are some more works by Close. James, in the centre, is from 2004.
James is constructed from these optical details. The effect is electrifying.
We were thrilled to see new work by one of our favourite Canadian artists, Attila Richard Lukacs. Nice to see him working again -- this time without the figure.
At last we found our friend Paul Petro, one of our favourite gallerists on Queen Street West. This year's Art Toronto was a great one!
This gorgeous Eric Fischl watercolour was $100,000. Staff told me he finished it just recently.
Chuck Close made some of his daguerreotypes into tapestries.
Another Lukacs painting. This one's a beauty.
Bill read that Lukacs was inspired to do the paintings by the marks left on the floor from doing his sculptures.
At last we found our friend Paul Petro, one of our favourite gallerists on Queen Street West. This year's Art Toronto was a great one!
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