Robert Murray

Biography:

Robert Murray grew up in western Canada, and moved to New York City in 1960. Quickly establishing himself as an important young artist, he took part in the renaissance of modern sculpture and public art that unfolded in the following decades. Murray was particularly innovative in his use of industrial fabrication methods to create his pieces and in his deep investigation of landscape as inspiration for abstract sculpture. His synthesis of the rich tradition of landscape painting in Canada and the exciting vision of New York abstract expressionist and color-field painters has resulted in an extraordinary and unique body of work.

Murray had his first solo shows at the Betty Parsons Gallery, and was regularly included in the annual exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art. His sculptures were included in public exhibitions of large-scale sculpture in the 1960s and ’70s in New York, Detroit, Newport, and many other cities, as well as major museum shows about the sculpture of that era at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Walker Art Center. Retrospectives of his work have been held at the Dayton Art Institute, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, the Centro Culturale Canadese in Rome, and Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey. The National Gallery of Canada hosted a major retrospective in 1999, documenting Murray’s contributions to modern art in Canada and the United States. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 2000 and received the Barnett and Annalee Newman Foundation Grant Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018. A comprehensive monograph on his work, Robert Murray: Sculpture, was published in January 2019.

 

Résumé:

Solo Exhibitions

 

2018

      FXCollaborative Gallery, New York. Robert Murray: Working Models and Works on Paper. February 15–March 23.

      Studio 21, Halifax, NS. Robert Murray: Models, Painting and Sculpture. July 7–August 31.

2017

      Alaska State Museum, Juneau, AK. The Working Models: Sculpture by Robert Murray, March 24–April 15.

2016

      Winchester Galleries Ltd., Victoria, BC. Robert Murray: Small Sculptures and Topographical Reliefs, November 3–26.

2015

      Barbara Edwards Contemporary, Toronto. Robert Murray, March 20–April 18.

      Barbara Edwards Contemporary Calgary, Calgary, AB. Robert Murray, September 18–October 30.

2011

      Barbara Edwards Contemporary, Toronto. Robert Murray, September 23–November 5.

2010

      Sideshow, Brooklyn, NY. Landforms & Field Patterns: Robert Murray, April 1–31.

2009

      Barbara Edwards Contemporary, Toronto. Robert Murray, September 25–November 14.

2006

      Carleton University, Ottawa, ON. Tundra (for Barnett Newman), unveiling of the sculpture in its new location at the University, October 4.

 

2004

      Winchester Galleries Ltd., Victoria, BC. Robert Murray, March 6–March 30.

      Freedman Gallery, Albright College Center for the Arts, Reading, PA. Robert Murray: Wood + Metal, March 30–April 23.

      Andre Zarre Gallery, New York. Robert Murray: Recent Sculpture, November 17–December 20.

2003

      Moore Gallery Ltd., Toronto. Robert Murray: La Serie des Barils, Seven New Works of Sculpture, May 22–June 14.

2002

      MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie, ON. Robert Murray: Working Models, April 12–May 26.

2001

      Moore Gallery Ltd., Toronto. Robert Murray: Line and Mass—Wood and Metal, May 26–June 16.

2000

      Stroud Water Research Center, Avondale, PA. Robert Murray: The Float Plane Watercolors, June 1–August 31.

1999

      National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, ON. Robert Murray: The Factory as Studio, February 19–May 2.

      Moore Gallery Ltd., Toronto. Robert Murray: Four Important Sculptures from His Recent Retrospective at the National Gallery of Canada, June 5–June 26.

      Ericson Gallery, Philadelphia. Robert Murray: Wall Pieces and Small Sculpture, November 12–December 31.

1998

      Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ. Special showing of Hillary.

1997

      Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ. Robert Murray, May 10–July 6.

1996

      Andre Zarre Gallery, New York. Robert Murray: Selected Small Sculptures from the 80s and 90s, March 7–April 6.

1994

      Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto. Robert Murray: Installation of Shaped Canvases and Prints, February 12–26.

      Reading Public Museum, Reading, PA. Robert Murray: Retrospective, September 11–November 20.

      Andre Zarre Gallery, New York. Robert Murray: Recent Paintings and Sculptures, November 8–December 3.

1993

      New Arts Program Exhibition Space, Kutztown, PA. Robert Murray, October 8–November 6.

      Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA. Special showing of Hillary.

      Reading Museum, Reading, PA. Special showing of Saginaw.

 

1992

      Muhlenberg College, Frank Martin Gallery, Allentown, PA. Inventing Forms: Robert Murray, January 23–March 5.

1990

      Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, DE. Robert Murray: Sculpture and Working Models, October 6–November 25.

       New England Center for Contemporary Art, Brooklyn, CT. Robert Murray.

1987

       Richard Green Gallery, Los Angeles. Robert Murray: Sculpture, January 23–March 7.

1986

       Gallery Two Nine One, Atlanta, GA. Robert Murray: Sculpture, March 1–April 16.

       Richard Green Gallery, New York. Robert Murray: Recent Works, October 11–November 8.

1985

       Centro Culturale Canadese, Rome, Italy. Robert Murray: Working Models, April 3–26.

       Gallery One, Toronto. Robert Murray: Recent Sculpture, May 4–23.

1984–85

       Esplanade, New York. Special showing of Saginaw.

1983

       Lamont Gallery, Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH. Robert Murray: Working Models, January 31–February 25.

       Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC. Robert Murray: Sculpture and Working Models, June 24–August 7.

       Sam Houston Gallery, Vancouver, BC. Working Models.

1982

       Hamilton Gallery of Contemporary Art, New York. Blues: Works in Aluminum and Bronze, April 30–May 29.

       Klonaridis, Inc., Toronto. Robert Murray: Watercolours, November 27–December 23.

1981

       Klonaridis, Inc., Toronto. Robert Murray: New Sculpture, May 23–June 20.

1980

      Hamilton Gallery of Contemporary Art, New York. Robert Murray: New Sculpture, March 7–April 5.

1979

      Hamilton Gallery of Contemporary Art, New York. Robert Murray: Red Show, March 10–31.

      Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH. Robert Murray: A Sculpture Exhibition, May 11–July 8. Traveled to Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH, July 29–September 2.

      Klonaridis, Inc., Toronto. Robert Murray: New Sculpture, October 20–November 9.

1978

      Sewall Art Gallery, Rice University, Houston, TX. Robert Murray: Sculpture, February 14–April 8.

1977

      Hamilton Gallery of Contemporary Art, New York. Robert Murray, September 17–October 8.

      Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL. Robert Murray.

      Janie C. Lee Gallery, Houston, TX. May 14–June 15.

1975

      David Mirvish Gallery, Toronto. Robert Murray: Small Works, February 15–March 12.

      David Mirvish Gallery, Toronto. Recent Sculpture by Robert Murray, September 13–October 8. Traveled to Gallery Stratford, Stratford, ON, November 14–December 7; Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, SK, December 18–January 15, 1976.

1974

      David Mirvish Gallery, Toronto. Recent Sculpture by Robert Murray, March 9–April 3.

      Paula Cooper Gallery, New York. Robert Murray, November 9–December 4.

1972

      David Mirvish Gallery, Toronto. Recent Sculpture by Robert Murray, October 28–November 25.

1971

      Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, New York. Robert Murray at Hammarskjöld Plaza, December 1971–February 1972.

1969

      Cultural Affairs Department, Battery Park, New York. Special showing of Cumbria.

1968

      David Mirvish Gallery, Toronto. Robert Murray: Sculpture, May 18–June 16.

      Betty Parsons Gallery, New York. Robert Murray: Sculpture, October 8–26.

1967

      David Mirvish Gallery, Toronto. Robert Murray, May 4–28.

      Jewish Museum, New York. Robert Murray: Sculpture, July–October.

      Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto. Special showing of Cumbria.

1966

      Betty Parsons Gallery, New York. Robert Murray, December 13–31.

1965

             Betty Parsons Gallery, New York. Robert Murray: Painted Sculpture, March 30–April 17.

 

Collections

Alaska State Museum, Juneau

Art Gallery of Algoma, Sault Ste. Marie

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria

Art Gallery of Kelowna, Kelowna

Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

California State University Long Beach, Long Beach

Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), Toronto

Carleton University, Ottawa

Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus

Copeland Run Academy, Downingtown

Dayton Art Institute, Dayton

Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington

Department of External Affairs, Ottawa

Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit

Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse

Fredonia State College, Fredonia

Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton Township

Hinsdale Junior High School, Hinsdale

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

JW Power Collection, University of Sydney, managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney

Lynden Sculpture Garden, Milwaukee

Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon

Metropolitan Museum of Arts, New York

Montreal Museum of Fine Art, Montreal

National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa

Neuberger Museum, Purchase

New Brunswick Museum, St. John

New Jersey State Museum, Trenton

One King West, Toronto

Reading Public Museum, Reading

Saskatoon City Hall, Saskatoon

Sheldon Museum of Art, Lincoln

Storm King Art Center, Mountainville

Swarthmore College, Swarthmore

UC Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley

University of Alberta, Edmonton

University of British Columbia, Vancouver

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

University of Toronto, Toronto

Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver

Vassar Art Gallery, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie

Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

Wayne State University, Detroit

Wells Fargo Bank, Minneapolis

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

 

Awards

Tuition scholarship, Saskatchewan Arts Board, Regina, SK, for the University of Saskatchewan Summer School, 1955

Recognition Award, Saskatchewan Arts Board Spring Exhibition, 1958

Scholarship, Institute Allende, San Miguel, Mexico, 1958

Canada Council Arts Scholarship, 1960

Canada Council Senior Grant, 1969

National Endowment for the Arts (unsolicited), 1969

Second Prize, Sao Paulo Biennial, Brazil, 1969

Allied Arts Medal, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, 1977

Aviation & Space Writers Award, 1979

Order of Canada, 2000

Barnett and Annalee Newman Foundation Grant Award for Lifetime Achievement, 2018