A commonly held misunderstanding about Canadian abstract painting is that it derives from American Abstract Expressionism. It is important to remember that Riopelle’s particular approach to “all-over” painting derives from the teaching of Bordaus and his understanding of European Surrealism, not from the contemporary developments.
Virtually all of the works in the exhibition are owned by Riopelle. They thus represent the history of his long career, a career that has taken a journey through many series of work in many media, as he has chosen to represent for himself.
