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Angela Grossmann
Biography

While still a student at Emily Carr College (now Institute) of Art and Design in 1985, Angela Grossmann was introduced as one of the Vancouver Art Gallery's "Young Romantic" painters most likely to influence the course of painting in that decade. Over the past 25 years, Grossmann has continued to be a significant force in the Canadian art world. In June 2006, she was included in a list of 100 artists who have most influenced students at eleven leading British art schools, including the Royal Academy, Slade and Royal College of Art. 


Grossmann has devoted much of her career to examining themes of displacement and social margins through the use of collaged and transferred discarded materials. In an early series titled Affaires d'Enfants (1987), she painted on the insides of suitcases abandoned by an agency in Paris that once sponsored summer camp holidays for orphans.  In 1991, she created (Sign)ifying the END of the (Second) 2nd World War using photographs of unknown European children found in second-hand shops.  Grossmann based her 1994 exhibition Scapegoats on mug shots taken of prisoners in the British Columbia Penitentiary during the 1940s. In a strange world hovering between fantasy and reality, she forced viewers to face the human side of criminals. Her 1999 exhibition, My Vocation, presented the human figure graphically sketched and enlarged. The images emerged through ephemeral layers of letters, photographs, addresses, envelopes, postage and cancellation marks.

In her recent work, Grossmann emphasizes coming-of-age themes. Alpha Girls (2004), a forceful narrative series, resonated with the emotional world of young teen girls. Paper Dolls continued the themes of social status, fashion and identity among the “paper dolls” of 2006. Also in 2006, she joined forces once more with Douglas Coupland, Graham Gillmore, Attila Richard Lukacs and Derek Root to create a massive sculptural installation entitled Vancouver School. Grossmann collaborates with this group on a regular basis for special projects.

After earning an MFA at Concordia University and teaching at Ottawa University, Grossmann returned to Vancouver in 1997 to paint and to teach at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design and University of British Columbia.  Her work has been exhibited widely across Canada, the United States and Europe. It is in numerous public and private collections. 

Biography

Angela Grossmann graduated from Emily Carr College (now University) of Art + Design in 1985. That year she was introduced as one of the Vancouver Art Gallery's "Young Romantic" painters most likely to influence the course of painting in that decade. After earning an MFA at Concordia University and teaching at Ottawa University, Grossmann returned to Vancouver in 1997 to paint and to teach at Emily Carr. She has exhibited widely across Canada, the United States and Europe and her work is in numerous public and private collections.

Education
1985                              Emily Carr College of Art & Design, Honours Diploma, Vancouver, BC
1986                              Awarded Canada Council Studio in Paris for one year
1991                              M.F.A., Concordia University, Montreal, QC
1991-present               Taught painting at Concordia University, University of Ottawa, and Ontario College of Art University,
                                      University of British Columbia, Emily Carr University, Vermont College of Fine Arts, MFA

Solo Exhibitions (abbreviated)
2015.                            Solo booth , Art Toronto, Art Fair – Hello Dolly
2015.                            Capture Festival, Models of Resistance – Vancouver , Canada
2012                             Winsor Gallery, The Future Is Female, Vancouver, Canada
2011                             Vancouver Art Gallery- Painting and Photography- Smaller than Life
2010                             Galerie d’este - Montreal
2010                             Newzones Gallery, Calgary, Alberta
2010                             Code 2010 – Online exhibit- curated by Milena Placentile
2010                             Melissa Morgan Fine Art- Palm Desert, California
2008                             Next- Art Chicago
                                     Mirror, Mirror, Newzones Gallery, Calgary, AB
2005                             Alpha Girls, Edward Day Gallery, Toronto, ON
2004                             Alpha Girls, Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2002                             Thirteen, Robert Birch Gallery, Toronto, ON
1999                             Correction(s), Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops, BC
1997                             Garnet Press Gallery, Toronto, ON
1993                             Bourget Gallery, Montreal, QC
1989                             Angela Grossmann: A Recent Survey, Simon Fraser Gallery, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC
1987                             Affaires d'Enfants, Diane Farris Gallery

Group Exhibitions
2017                            *Upcoming – Art on Paper, New York City
2016                            Papier, Art Fair, Montreal, Quebec
2016.                           Beast Salient, Franc Gallery, Vancouver
2016.                           Drama Queer, seducing social change – curated by Dr Johnathan Katz – catalogue
2015.                           Jiggery Pokery – two person show, Winsor Gallery, Vancouver
2015                            Beijing Biennale , Beijing China
2011                            Unreal, Vancouver Art Gallery,
2010                            Six degree of Separation- Claire Oliver- NYC - New York
2010                            Competition, Consumers, Corporatization.Online exhibition curated by Milena Placentile,
2007                            Fine Line, Kunsthallen Braenderigard, and Senko Studio, Viborg, Denmark
2006                            Paint, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC
                                   Dancing to the Invisible Piper: Canadian Figurative Art, Art Gallery of Mississauga
                                   Vancouver School, Artists for Kids Gallery, North Vancouver, BC
                                   Mois de la Photo, curated by Martha Langford, Montreal, QC
2004                           Basement Show, Art Gallery of Calgary, Calgary, A
                                   Form & Figure, Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, SK
                                   The Basement Show, The Electra, Vancouver, BC
                                   Memories and Testimonies, Hart House, Toronto, ON
2002                           Memories and Testimonies, Concordia, Montreal, PQ
                                   Pool, Harbour Front Gallery, Toronto, ON
                                   Toronto Art Fair (Robert Birch Gallery), Toronto, ON
2001                           Beaux Arts 2001: Showcasing Artists, Sidney & Gertrude Zack Gallery,
                                   Toronto Art Fair (Robert Birch Gallery), Toronto, ON
1999-2000                   Catherine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1999                           Crime and Punishment, Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston, ON
                                   Crime and Punishment, Gallery 44, Toronto, ON
                                   Crime and Punishment, Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, SK
1998                           Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops, BC
1997                           Absolute L.A. Invitational, Sherry Frumkin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1995                           The Spectacular State:  Fascism and the Modern Imagination, The Teck Gallery, Toronto
                                   The Spectacular State: Fascism and the Modern Imagination, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver,
                                   Vancouver Holocaust Society, Vancouver, BC
                                   Articule, Montreal, QC
1994                            '64 - '94 Contemporary Decades, Emily Carr Institute of Arts & Design, Vancouver, BC
                                    The Expressive Portrait, The Exposure Gallery, Vancouver, BC
                                    Artfair Seattle (Diane Farris Gallery), Seattle, WA; part of public displays project
1993                            MONTAGE 93: International Festival of the Image, Rochester, NY
1992-1997                  Artfair Seattle (Diane Farris Gallery), Seattle, WA
1990                            ART/LA '90, Diane Farris Gallery booth, Los Angeles, CA
                                    Artropolis '90, The Roundhouse, Vancouver, BC
1989                            Gilmore, Grossmann, Root, 49th Parallel Gallery (Diane Farris Gallery), NY
1988                            Great Strides, Stride Gallery (in assoc. with University of Lethbridge collection), Calgary, AB
1987                            Art Cologne ’87 (Diane Farris Gallery), Cologne, West Germany
                                    Fresh Air: Eight Vancouver Painters, Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops, BC
                                    Vancouver Painters, Paul Kuhn Fine Arts, Calgary, AB
                                    West Coast Paintings: New Directions, Canada House, London, England
1986                            Four Vancouver Young Romantic Painters, Centre Culturel Canadien, Paris
1985                            Young Romantics, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC
                                    Five Young Artists, Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, BC
                                    Futura Bold Installation, Convertible Warehouse, Vancouver, BC
                                    Group Show of Canadian Painters, 49th Parallel Gallery, New York, NY
1984                             Futura Bold, Unit Pitt, Vancouver, BC
                                    Warehouse Show, Vancouver, BC

Grants & Awards
2014.                           Canada Council “B” Grant  
2004                            Canada Council “A” Grant
1996                            Canada Council “B” Grant
1994                            Canada Council “B” Grant
1990                            Canada Council “B” Grant
1988                            Canada Council "B" Grant
1986                            Canada Council "B" Grant
1984                            British Columbia Cultural Fund Award
1983                            Scholarship from Emily Carr College of Art and Design
                                    British Columbia Cultural Fund Award
1981                            First Year Scholarship from Emily Carr College of Art and Design

Selected Publications
2016.                          Sunshine Frere , Montechristo Magazine, interview - Summer issue
2016.                          Staff writer, Drama Queer, interview
2015.                          Kevin Griffin, Vancouver Sun, Models of resistance
2015.                          Robin Laurence, Jiggery Pokery , Bordercrossings (Spring )
2015.                          Danielle Egan, Doll Parts , Whitehotmagazine-
2015.                          Hadani Ditmars - Canadian Art Magazine - Models of Resistance  
2015.                          Robin Laurence, Georgia Straight , Models of Resistance
2012.                          Danielle Egan, Canadian Art, Flesh for Fantasy
2010.                          David Yates, Montreal Home Magazine – Anew eye on the Old - Autumn  
2010                            Huffington Post- The commonwealth strikes back – Mark Wiener
2010                            John Pohl- Emotional Intelligence – Montreal Gazette
2009                            Loren, Lerner, Adolescent Girls, Adult Women, Girlhood Studies, Vol 1. Berghahn Journals
2009                            Leadlay, Christina. Spade Magazine, p54-59
2008                            Dykk, Lloyd. The Vancouver Sun, December 6, 2008
2008                            Roenisch, Clint and Jane Urquhart. Carte Blanche, Vol. 2 – Painting, Magenta Publishing for the Art, Toronto, ON
2007                            Kevin Chong, “Art & Commerce,” Fashion, October 2007, p 128-133
                                    Starke, Sean, “Angela Grossmann,” Hobo Magazine, Spring/Summer 2007, p 106-111
                                    VLM, “Gallerista,” Vancouver Lifestyles Magazine, Vol. 14 Issue 10, Winter 2008, p 62
2006                            Allen, Joanne, “100 Artists who have most influenced British art students,” The Art Newspaper, No. 170, June 2006
                                    Campbell, Deborah, “Angela Grossmann’s Portrait Toughs – Alpha Girl,” Canadian Art, Vol. 23
                                    No. 2, Summer 2006, p 60-63
                                    Sorbelli, Sylvia. Angela Grossmann’s and Poleixeni Papepetrou’s Adventures in Wonderland, Concordia,
                                    Undergraduate Journal of Art History.
                                    Cramp, Beverly, “Angela Grossmann,” Galleries West, Summer 2006, cover, p 40-42
                                    Harper”s Magazine, September 2006, p 23 (images)
                                    Hill, Mary Frances, “Explorations of Girlhood Under Pressure,” Westender, June 15-21, 2006
                                    Laurence, Robin, Artists go back to School,” “The Georgia Straight, April 20, 2006
2004                            Barr, Catherine, “Cat’s Eye,” Westender, October 14-20, 2004
                                    Dault, Julia, “The Art Underground,” National Post, June 10, 2004
                                    Laurence, Robin, “Girls Caught in the Market Tide,” Georgia Straight, October 14, 2004
                                    Menkis, Richard & Norman Ravvin, The Canadian Jewish Studies Reader, Red Deer Press, 2004 (cover)
2003                            Gill, Alexandra, “Art Goes Underground,” Globe and Mail, October 27, 2003
                                    Scott, Michael, “The Basement Reveals Artistic Genius,” The Vancouver Sun, October 29, 2003
                                    Wohlberg, Tara, “Lost & Found,” NUVO, autumn 2003
2002                            Dault, Gary Michel, “Girl-paintings are strong stuff,” Globe and Mail, December 21, 2002
                                    Johnson, Mia, Preview of the Visual Arts, March-April, 2002
                                    Memories and Testimonies
2001                            Howard, Cori, “Five Artists, Will Paint for Money,” National Post, February 6, 2001
2000                            Artweek Magazine, Cover Illustration, February, 2000 SanFrancisco, Ca
                                    Milroy, Sarah, “Vancouver Painters Reach Critical Mass,” Globe and Mail, May 15, 1999
                                    Richardson, Bill, “Job Satisfaction,” National Post, March 10, 1999
                                    Scott, Michael, “Angela Grossmann,” The Vancouver Sun, March 11, 1999
1997                            Hume, Chris, “Lending Dignity to Faces of Crime,” The Toronto Star, March 20, 1997
                                    Mackay, Gillian, “Angela Grossman & Oliver Girling at Garnett Press,” Globe and Mail, March 8, 1997
1992                             Rosenberg, Ann, “Distaff Eyes Reflect Surreal World,” The Vancouver Sun, September 12, 1992
1990                            Genereux, Linda, “Canadians Regroup in NY,” Metropolis, Vol. 1, No. 44, March 23, 1989
1988                            Grace Sherrill, “Painting on the Edge, 1987,” American Book Review, Spring 1988
                                    Watson, Scott, “Angela Grossmann,” Western Living, April 1988
1987                             Blanchette, Manon, “Aux Confins de la Tradition et de L'Ouverture,” Vie des Arts, summer 1987
                                     Kaplan, Joel, “Graham Gillmore, Angela Grossmann,” Vanguard, September 1987
                                    Tousley, Nancy, “Artists Part of Vigorous New Vancouver Movement,” Calgary Herald, January 29, 1987
                                    Watson, Scott, “Angela Grossmann:  Affaires d’Enfants,” Canadian Art, Fall 1987
                                    “New Era of Painting on Show at Canada House,” Canada Today. No. 13, November 1986
                                    Thomas, Gilda, “Four Young Romantics of Vancouver,” Vie des Arts, December 1986
1985                            Featherstone, Bill, “In Review Vancouver,” The Art Post, October/November 1985
                                    Templeman-Kluit, Anne, “Young Romantics at the Vancouver Art Gallery,” Vancouver Magazine, June 1985
                                    Watson, Scott, “Review of Futura Bold,” C Magazine, Spring 1985
                                    Wolff, Theodore F, “New York Art Galleries that Sizzle in Summer,” Christian Science Monitor, June 1985

Collections
ABN AMRO International Bank, Amsterdam, Holland
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC
Appleton Museum of Art, Ocala, Florida
Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, ON
Canadiana Fund Heritage Art Collection, Ottawa, ON
Canadian Postal Museum, Ottawa, ON
Federation CJA, Montreal, QC
Glenbow Museum, Calgary, AB
Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops, BC
Museum Abteiberg, Monchengladbach, Germany
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, ON
Seymour Collection, Vancouver, BC
Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC
Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Lethbridge, Alberta
University of Victoria, Victoria, BC
Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC

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