Ralph Allen was born in Raunds, Northamptonshire, England in 1926. He studied at the Sir John Cass College of Art (1948) and under Henry Moore at the Slade School of Fine Arts, London (1950-54). He emigrated to Canada in 1957 and, in 1963, he was appointed director of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston, Ontario. In 1966, Allen became Associate Professor of Art at Queen’s University, Kingston. He is a member of the Ontario Society of Artists and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. The Ontario Society of Artists awarded Allen the Baxter Award in 1960. Allen’s abstract monotypes and paintings have been exhibited at three Canadian Biennials and internationally, in both public and private collections.

The panel displayed here combines wood, gesso, sheet plastic, gold leaf and copolymer to create a variety of textures and colours on a faceted background. It is interesting to observe the kaleidoscopic optical effect of the work as you walk by it, first in one direction and then in the other.

Click to see a larger image (668K)
Side view (from the left) of Ralph Allen's, Untitled
Government of Ontario Art Collection
Archives of Ontario

Click to see a larger image (477K)
Side view (from the right) of Ralph Allen's, Untitled
Government of Ontario Art Collection
Archives of Ontario

Untitled, [ca. 1966-68]
Ralph Allen
wood/gesso/sheet plastic/gold leaf/copolymer
Government of Ontario Art Collection, 619782

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