Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1909-2006 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
64 cm of textual records
384 photographs
659 slides and negatives
97 drawings
5 etchings
1 videocassette
6 audio reels
7 dolls
4 box constructions
3 hooked rugs
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Florence Vale, Canadian artist, was born on April 18, 1909 in llford, Essex, England and died on July 23, 2003 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her family immigrated to Toronto two years after her birth, where she grew up with an interest in music. She married artist Albert Franck on June 8, 1929, and together they bought a house on Hazelton Avenue in Toronto which became a centre for artists, writers, musicians, and critics. Florence Vale was the mother of two children, Trudy (who died as an infant) and Anneke.
Florence Vale began to paint with her husband’s paints and brushes in the late 1940’s with no previous artistic training – only what she had learned under the influence of her husband and the artists who visited her home. Her art was influenced by Surrealism, Cubism, Expressionism, and the works of Paul Klee. After her husband’s death in 1973, Florence Vale continued to express her artistic ability with oil paints, collages, and ink, also including her own poetry in some of her works. Many of her works, most prominently after the death of her husband, were erotic, while still viewed by critics as keeping a whimsical, innocent tone. Her art appeared in exhibitions throughout Ontario, with exhibitions also in Quebec and New York, U.S.A. She was associated with the Gadatsy Gallery, Toronto.
Repository
Archival history
Following the death of Florence Vale, the materials now constituting the Florence Vale fonds were held by Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Gadacsy until 2006.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Transferred to the AGO by Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Gadacsy in 2006.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Fonds consists of records relating to the life and work of Florence Vale. Textual materials include correspondence, records of exhibitions, and documentation of her artwork. Visual materials include photographic documentation of the artist, her family, friends, and her work; drawings, etchings, rugs, and box construction art pieces and dolls. Also includes are media materials in the form of audio reels and a videocassette.
Contains series:
- Documentation of Artwork
- Publicity Materials
- Correspondence
- Photographs
- Drawings and Etchings
- Poems by Florence Vale and Others
- Artist’s bookworks
- Audio reels of the singing and poetry readings of Florence Vale
- Video Documentary on Florence Vale
- Dolls and Box Constructions
- Rugs
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
System of arrangement
Arrangement has been performed by the archivist following the original order of the creator wherever possible. File distinctions are primarily those divisions in which the records came into the archives.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open. Access to Special Collections is by appointment only. Please contact the reference desk for more information.
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright is held by the heirs of Florence Vale. Copyright belonging to other parties, such as that of photographs, may still rest with the creator of these items.
It is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain permission to publish any part of the fonds.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
A detailed finding aid is available at http://www.ago.net/assets/files/pdf/special_collections/SC110.pdf.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
August 8, 2013
Language(s)
- English