Arnaud Maggs, detail (Kenneth Perkins), Orford String Quartet, 1983, silver print. Gift of the artist, 2000 (43-078). Credit: www.bernardclarkphoto.com
Exhibitions
Arnaud Maggs: Orford String Quartet
The Davies Foundation Gallery
1 May - 6 September 2004
The exhibition of Arnaud Maggs' dramatic 48-part portrait of the Orford String Quartet was the first public presentation of this photographic installation from the artist's series of portraits of famous Canadians. Maggs is pre-eminent among Canadian photographers: he has received numerous critical accolades and awards, including the Gershon Iskowitz Prize in 1991. He donated this set of unique prints to the Art Centre in 2000.
The subject of the piece is the Orford String Quartet: each member of this celebrated Canadian ensemble is captured in twelve frontal and profile views, for a total of 48 coolly calibrated shots. The portrait is of special interest to students, staff and faculty at Queen's University: Kenneth Perkins, who founded the quartet with Andrew Dawes in 1965, was a faculty member of the Queen's School of Music from 1994 until his death in 2000.
Jan Allen