Roy Kiyooka
(Canadian, 1926–1994)
Black Painting, 1965
Acrylic (Aqua-Tex) on canvas
Dimensions: 51 × 51 in. (129.5 × 129.5 cm) | Installed (Diamond format): approx. 72 × 72 in. (183 × 183 cm)
Inscriptions: Signed, titled, dated, and inscribed with medium on the reverse
Description
In Black Painting (1965), Roy Kiyooka presents a monochromatic, hard-edge geometric composition configured in a diamond orientation. Executed at a key juncture in Kiyooka’s career immediately prior to representing Canada at the 1966 Venice Biennale, the work relies on a highly restrained black-on-black palette to examine spatial depth and surface texture. The composition features four circular forms with subtle, warm umber undertones positioned within a charcoal off-black square grid, set against a deep matte black ground.
Kiyooka’s practice in the mid-1960s was central to the development of hard-edge abstraction in Canada. By orienting the square canvas on its vertex and utilizing minimal tonal variations across the surface, Black Painting explores structural economy, figure-ground tension, and the optical dynamics of the lozenge format.
Major Accolades & Recognition
Represented Canada at the 33rd Venice Biennale (1966) alongside Yves Gaucher and Guido Molinari.
Appointed Officer of the Order of Canada (1978).
Winner of the Governor General's Award (1988).
Pivotal figure in Canadian postwar art, bridging the Regina Five era and shaping the Vancouver hard-edge abstraction movement as an instructor at the Vancouver School of Art.
Selected Permanent Collections
National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
Art Gallery of Ontario / AGO (Toronto, ON)
Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver, BC)
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts / MMFA (Montreal, QC)
Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal / MACM (Montreal, QC)
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (Victoria, BC)
Agnes Etherington Art Centre (Kingston, ON)
Roy Kiyooka
(Canadian, 1926–1994)
Black Painting, 1965
Acrylic (Aqua-Tex) on canvas
Dimensions: 51 × 51 in. (129.5 × 129.5 cm) | Installed (Diamond format): approx. 72 × 72 in. (183 × 183 cm)
Inscriptions: Signed, titled, dated, and inscribed with medium on the reverse
Description
In Black Painting (1965), Roy Kiyooka presents a monochromatic, hard-edge geometric composition configured in a diamond orientation. Executed at a key juncture in Kiyooka’s career immediately prior to representing Canada at the 1966 Venice Biennale, the work relies on a highly restrained black-on-black palette to examine spatial depth and surface texture. The composition features four circular forms with subtle, warm umber undertones positioned within a charcoal off-black square grid, set against a deep matte black ground.
Kiyooka’s practice in the mid-1960s was central to the development of hard-edge abstraction in Canada. By orienting the square canvas on its vertex and utilizing minimal tonal variations across the surface, Black Painting explores structural economy, figure-ground tension, and the optical dynamics of the lozenge format.
Major Accolades & Recognition
Represented Canada at the 33rd Venice Biennale (1966) alongside Yves Gaucher and Guido Molinari.
Appointed Officer of the Order of Canada (1978).
Winner of the Governor General's Award (1988).
Pivotal figure in Canadian postwar art, bridging the Regina Five era and shaping the Vancouver hard-edge abstraction movement as an instructor at the Vancouver School of Art.
Selected Permanent Collections
National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
Art Gallery of Ontario / AGO (Toronto, ON)
Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver, BC)
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts / MMFA (Montreal, QC)
Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal / MACM (Montreal, QC)
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (Victoria, BC)
Agnes Etherington Art Centre (Kingston, ON)
