Artwork for Sale
Two Girls, 1967
Inscriptions
signed 'Surrey' (centre right).Provenance
Jerrold Morris Gallery, Toronto
Private collection, Montreal
Acquired from the above by private collection, Westmount, Quebec
As with Alex Colville and Edward Hopper, the precise location of Surrey’s paintings are not of particular importance to their message. However, since we do know that Philip Surrey found content and inspiration on his regular walks, originally to and from the office and then later , post 1963, on his ritual walks around his Westmount neighbourhood, we can sometimes reasonably speculate as to what inspires the composition.
The architecture featured in “Two Girls” is highly reminiscent of an important complex of 3 towers completed in 1967 called Westmount Square, designed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and located a healthy 20 minute walk from Surrey’s home.
Footnotes:
1. Gilles Daigneault, “The expressionism of Philip Surrey”, Texts in English, Vie des Arts, Vol 24, No. 96, Fall 1979, p. 101.