Fonds LA.SC076 - Robert Markle fonds

Identity area

Reference code

LA.SC076

Title

Robert Markle fonds

Date(s)

  • [195-]-2003 (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

2.9 m of textual records and graphic material
2915 photographs
ca. 390 drawings, paintings, prints and cutouts
31 posters
11 items of clothing
7 sketchbooks
6 maquettes
4 printing plates
3 film reels
3 videocassettes
2 audio cassettes
2 boxes
2 card wallets
1 sketchbook
1 banner
1 artist's palette
1 button

Context area

Name of creator

(1936-1990)

Biographical history

Robert Nelson Markle (Hamilton, Ontario, 1936-Holstein, Ontario, 1990) was a Canadian artist, writer, educator and musician. He began his studies at the Ontario College of Art (OCA) in 1954, but was expelled before graduation. While at OCA, he met Marlene Shuster, a fellow student, whom he married in 1958. The focus of Markle’s work from his early days was the female nude, particularly burlesque dancers, and Marlene became his primary model and muse. In 1962 Markle had his first group exhibition at The Isaacs Gallery in Toronto, becoming one of the “Isaacs Group” of artists. In 1965, Markle paintings shown in the exhibition Eros ’65 at the Dorothy Cameron Gallery were seized on a charge of obscenity, drawing considerable media attention. In the mid-1960s Markle began to write for magazines such as the Toronto Telegram Showcase, Maclean’s, and Toronto Life, publishing widely on topics as diverse as striptease, hockey, childhood Christmases, and Gordon Lightfoot. Markle also worked extensively as an illustrator, contributing images to magazines and literary journals. His work as an educator included terms at The New School of Art (1966-1977) and Arts’ Sake (1977-1982) as well as OCA and the University of Guelph. From the early 1960s, Markle played tenor saxophone and piano in the Artists’ Jazz Band. In 1970 the Markles moved to a farmhouse outside of Holstein, Ontario, although Robert re-established a studio in Toronto from 1979 to 1982. In 1979, he won a commission to decorate a Toronto hamburger restaurant, which was named Markleangelo’s in his honour. His other large-scale commissions include wall-sculptures for the Ellen Fairclough Building in Hamilton, Ontario, and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. He executed painted outdoor murals in Owen Sound and Mount Forest, Ontario. Markle was killed in a traffic accident in 1990. Of Mohawk ancestry, Markle used his mother’s spelling of his surname, although it was spelled “Maracle” on his birth certificate. Markle worked primarily in painting and ink drawing, and also explored photography, collage, printmaking, wooden sculpture and neon. He collected folk art, which inspired a number of whirligig works later in his career. His work is in numerous public and private collections, including the Art Gallery of Ontario and the National Gallery of Canada.

Archival history

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

AGO Credit Line: Gift of Marlene Markle, 2004

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Fonds consists of the personal and professional records of Robert Markle, including his correspondence; drafts and published versions of his writings and illustrations; files on various projects, exhibitions, and teaching activities; photographs (both fine art and documentary); and preparatory art works in several media. Fonds is comprised of the following series: 1. Correspondence files 2. Writing files 3. Projects, proposals and other business files 4. Source material 5. Exhibition files 6. Arts’ Sake files 7. Income tax records 8. Published writings and illustrations 9. Publicity material and press clippings 10. Exhibition catalogues 11. Other published material 12. Sketchbooks 13. Works on paper 14. Printing plates 15. Posters and reproductions 16. Three-dimensional works 17. Costume and textile items 18. Audio-visual material 19. Photographs 20. Works by other artists 21. Marlene Markle 22. Personal items 23. Memorial

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

Further accruals are expected.

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Open. Access to Special Collections is by appointment only. Please contact the reference desk for more information.

Conditions governing reproduction

Copyright of material in this fonds is held by the heirs of the creator. Copyright belonging to other parties, such as that of photographs, may still rest with the creator of these items. It is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain permission for the reproduction of any part of the fonds.

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Allied materials area

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Notes area

Note

Robert Markle's files (series 1-7 + filed material in series 14) were received from Marlene Markle boxed but in no apparent order. Series have been imposed by archivist based on file titles and the scope and content of the records.

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Archivist's note

Originally prepared by Amy Marshall Furness, 2003
Uploaded and adapted by Nirvana Chainani, 2019

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