Robert Fones

Waddington's Auction House Biography and Notes

Born in 1949, Robert Fones began his career in the vibrant art scene of his birthplace, London, Ontario. Mentored by Greg Curnoe, Fones made important contributions within the region, including the founding of Forest City Gallery in 1973. In 1976 he moved to Toronto where he currently lives and practices. Working across a variety of media including painting, sculpture, photography and printed-matter, Robert Fones has established himself as an integral proponent of Canada’s conceptual art movement. His works provide an examination of cultural production, calling into question the relationship between the natural artifact and the manufactured product. Through curious combinations of pictograms, unique typefaces, and geometric shapes, Fones investigates processes of change across geological, cultural and industrial histories. Viewers, initially drawn in by elements of pop culture and anthropomorphism, find themselves engaged with work heavily punctuated by social critique. Represented by Olga Korper Gallery, Fones has exhibited throughout Canada, the United States, and Germany. In 2011 he was the recipient of the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts. His work is included in many corporate and public collections, including the permanent collections of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Museum London (Ontario), The Canada Council Art Bank, and the National Gallery of Canada.