Fonds SC076 - Robert Markle fonds

Zone d'identification

Cote

CA ON00012 SC076

Titre

Robert Markle fonds

Date(s)

  • [195-]-2001 (Production)

Niveau de description

Fonds

Étendue matérielle et support

2.8 m of textual records and graphic material ca. 2860 photographs ca. 385 drawings, paintings, prints and other graphic material 22 artifacts 8 sketchbooks 4 printing plates 3 film reels 2 audio cassettes 1 video cassette

Zone du contexte

Nom du producteur

(1936-1990)

Notice biographique

Robert Nelson Markle, Canadian artist, writer, educator and musician, was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1936 and died in Holstein, Ontario in 1990. He began his studies at the Ontario College of Art (OCA) in 1954, but was expelled before graduation. While at OCA, he met Marlene Shuster, a fellow student, whom he married in 1958. The focus of Markle’s work from his early days was the female nude, particularly burlesque dancers, and Marlene became his primary model and muse. In 1962 Markle had his first group exhibition at The Isaacs Gallery in Toronto, becoming one of the “Isaacs Group” of artists. In 1965, Markle paintings shown in the exhibition Eros ’65 at the Dorothy Cameron Gallery were seized on a charge of obscenity, drawing considerable media attention. In the mid-1960s Markle began to write for magazines such as the Toronto Telegram Showcase, Maclean’s, and Toronto Life, publishing widely on topics as diverse as striptease, hockey, childhood Christmases, and Gordon Lightfoot. Markle also worked extensively as an illustrator, contributing images to magazines and literary journals. His work as an educator included terms at The New School of Art (1966-1977) and Arts’ Sake (1977-1982) as well as OCA and the University of Guelph. From the early 1960s, Markle played tenor saxophone and piano in the Artists’ Jazz Band. In 1970 the Markles moved to a farmhouse outside of Holstein, Ontario, although Robert re-established a studio in Toronto from 1979 to 1982. In 1979, he won a commission to decorate a Toronto hamburger restaurant, which was named Markleangelo’s in his honour. His other large-scale commissions include wall-sculptures for the Ellen Fairclough Building in Hamilton, Ontario, and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. He executed painted outdoor murals in Owen Sound and Mount Forest, Ontario. Markle was killed in a traffic accident in 1990. Of Mohawk ancestry, Markle used his mother’s spelling of his surname, although it was spelled “Maracle” on his birth certificate. Markle worked primarily in painting and ink drawing, and also explored photography, collage, printmaking, wooden sculpture and neon. He collected folk art, which inspired a number of whirligig works later in his career. His work is in numerous public and private collections, including the Art Gallery of Ontario and the National Gallery of Canada.

Histoire archivistique

Source immédiate d'acquisition ou de transfert

Fonds was donated by Marlene Markle in 2004.

Zone du contenu et de la structure

Portée et contenu

Fonds consists of the personal and professional records of Robert Markle, including his correspondence; drafts and published versions of his writings and illustrations; files on various projects, exhibitions, and teaching activities; photographs (both fine art and documentary); and preparatory art works in several media. Fonds is comprised of the following series: 1. Correspondence files 2. Writing files 3. Projects, proposals and other business files 4. Source material 5. Exhibition files 6. Arts’ Sake files 7. Income tax records 8. Published writings and illustrations 9. Publicity material and press clippings 10. Exhibition catalogues 11. Other published material 12. Sketchbooks 13. Works on paper 14. Printing plates 15. Posters and reproductions 16. Three-dimensional works 17. Costume and textile items 18. Audio-visual material 19. Photographs 20. Works by other artists 21. Marlene Markle 22. Personal items 23. Memorial

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

Further accruals are expected.

System of arrangement

Zone des conditions d'accès et d'utilisation

Conditions d’accès

Open. Access to Special Collections is by appointment only. Please contact the reference desk for more information.

Conditions governing reproduction

Copyright of material in this fonds is held by the heirs of the creator. 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 for the reproduction of any part of the fonds.

Language of material

    Script of material

      Language and script notes

      Caractéristiques matérielle et contraintes techniques

      Finding aids

      A box-file list is available.

      Zone des sources complémentaires

      Existence and location of originals

      Existence and location of copies

      Related units of description

      Descriptions associées

      Zone des notes

      Note

      Robert Markle’s files (series 1-7 + filed material in series 14) were received from Marlene Markle boxed but in no apparent order. Series have been imposed by archivist based on file titles and the scope and content of the records.

      Identifiant(s) alternatif(s)

      Mots-clés

      Mots-clés - Sujets

      Mots-clés - Lieux

      Mots-clés - Noms

      Mots-clés - Genre

      Zone du contrôle de la description

      Identifiant de la description

      Identifiant du service d'archives

      Rules and/or conventions used

      Statut

      Niveau de détail

      Dates of creation revision deletion

      Langue(s)

        Écriture(s)

          Sources

          Accession area