Robert Houle
Encyclopedia
Robert Houle is a Saulteaux
First Nations
artist, curator, critic, and educator. Houle has had an active curatorial and artistic practice since the mid 1970s. He played an important role in bridging the gap between contemporary First Nations artists and the broader Canadian art scene through his writing and involvement in early important high profile exhibitions such as Land, Spirit, Power: First Nations at the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, 1992). As an artist, Houle has shown both nationally and internationally, he is predominately a painter working in the tradition of Abstraction yet he has also embraced a pop sensibility by incorporating everyday images and text into his works.
in 1972. After graduating, he augmented his art training by attending the Salzburg International Summer Academy focusing on painting and drawing. In 1975 he earned his Bachelor of Education degree in Art Education at McGill University
in Montreal, Quebec.
, the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris, and the Stedelijk Museum
.
In Canada, he has shown work at the Mendel Art Gallery
, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art
, the Carleton University Art Gallery, the Agnes Etherington Art Centre
, Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Art Gallery of Peterborough
and the Winnipeg Art Gallery
.
His artwork has been collected throughout Canada and in parts of the United States and Australia.
Robert Houle was Curator of Indian Art at the National Museum of Man in Ottawa from 1977 to 1980. He has been a visiting artist at Hood College
, Gettysburg College
, the Heard Museum
, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection
and the Winnipeg Art Gallery
.
, Heard Museum
, Laurentian University Museum and Arts Centre, McGill University
, and National Gallery of Canada
.
Saulteaux
The Saulteaux are a First Nation in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada.-Ethnic classification:The Saulteaux are a branch of the Ojibwe nations. They are sometimes also called Anihšināpē . Saulteaux is a French term meaning "people of the rapids," referring to...
First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
artist, curator, critic, and educator. Houle has had an active curatorial and artistic practice since the mid 1970s. He played an important role in bridging the gap between contemporary First Nations artists and the broader Canadian art scene through his writing and involvement in early important high profile exhibitions such as Land, Spirit, Power: First Nations at the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, 1992). As an artist, Houle has shown both nationally and internationally, he is predominately a painter working in the tradition of Abstraction yet he has also embraced a pop sensibility by incorporating everyday images and text into his works.
Background and education
Houle was born in St. Boniface, Manitoba on 9 March 1947. He was raised in his traditional tribal culture as well as in the Roman Catholic religion. Houle earned his Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the University of ManitobaUniversity of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
in 1972. After graduating, he augmented his art training by attending the Salzburg International Summer Academy focusing on painting and drawing. In 1975 he earned his Bachelor of Education degree in Art Education at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal, Quebec.
Artwork
His paintings have been exhibited at the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Museum of Contemporary Art, SydneyMuseum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
The Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, Australia is an Australian museum solely dedicated to exhibiting, interpreting and collecting contemporary art, both from across Australia and around the world...
, the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris, and the Stedelijk Museum
Stedelijk Museum
Founded in 1874, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is a museum for classic modern and contemporary art in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. It has been housed on the Paulus Potterstraat, next to Museum Square Museumplein and to the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the Concertgebouw, in Amsterdam Zuid...
.
In Canada, he has shown work at the Mendel Art Gallery
Mendel Art Gallery
The Mendel Art Gallery is a major creative cultural centre in City Park, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, opened in 1964. Housing a permanent collection of works of local, regional and national significance, the Mendel is also known for its public programs for all ages. Its current executive director and...
, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art
Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art
The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art was founded from the former Art Gallery of North York in 1999, and exists as a not-for-profit, arms-length agency of the City of Toronto...
, the Carleton University Art Gallery, the Agnes Etherington Art Centre
Agnes Etherington Art Centre
The Agnes Etherington Art Centre is in Kingston, Ontario, Canada and is operated by Queen's University. The centre holds 12-15 exhibitions annually, as well as artists' talks and performances, public lectures, symposia, workshops, and school and family programs...
, Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Art Gallery of Peterborough
Art Gallery of Peterborough
The Art Gallery of Peterborough is a free admission, non-profit public art gallery in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, a registered charity that depends on the support of its members. It was founded in 1974 by an independent board of volunteers. In 1977 it was given the Foster House by the City of...
and the Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg Art Gallery
The Winnipeg Art Gallery is a public art gallery that was founded in 1912. It is Western Canada's oldest civic gallery and the 6th largest in the country...
.
His artwork has been collected throughout Canada and in parts of the United States and Australia.
Career
He has retired from his post as an instructor at the Ontario College of Art and Design.Robert Houle was Curator of Indian Art at the National Museum of Man in Ottawa from 1977 to 1980. He has been a visiting artist at Hood College
Hood College
Hood College is a co-educational liberal arts college located in Frederick, Maryland. The college serves approximately 1,050 graduate students and more than 1,400 undergraduate students.-Early History :...
, Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College is a private four-year liberal arts college founded in 1832, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States, adjacent to the famous battlefield. Its athletic teams are nicknamed the Bullets. Gettysburg College has about 2,700 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women...
, the Heard Museum
Heard Museum
The Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art is a museum located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. There is also the Heard Museum North Scottsdale branch in Scottsdale and the Heard Museum West branch in Surprise....
, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection
McMichael Canadian Art Collection
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an art gallery in Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada, northwest of Toronto. It houses an extensive collection of paintings by Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, and First Nations and Inuit artists....
and the Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg Art Gallery
The Winnipeg Art Gallery is a public art gallery that was founded in 1912. It is Western Canada's oldest civic gallery and the 6th largest in the country...
.
Collections
Houle's work is in public collections such as the Art Gallery of OntarioArt Gallery of Ontario
Under the direction of its CEO Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO embarked on a $254 million redevelopment plan by architect Frank Gehry in 2004, called Transformation AGO. The new addition would require demolition of the 1992 Post-Modernist wing by Barton Myers and Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg...
, Heard Museum
Heard Museum
The Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art is a museum located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. There is also the Heard Museum North Scottsdale branch in Scottsdale and the Heard Museum West branch in Surprise....
, Laurentian University Museum and Arts Centre, McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, and National Gallery of Canada
National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
.
Further reading
- Madill, Shirley J. R. Robert Houle: Sovereignty over Subjectivity. Winnipeg, MB: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1992. ISBN 978-0889151901.
External links
- Robert Houle, Brave Art World