Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1933-1994 (Creation)
Extent
7.7 m of textual records and other material
Name of creator
Biographical history
Michael James Aleck Snow (1929- ) is a Canadian painter, sculptor, filmmaker, photographer and musician. He was born in Toronto and educated at Upper Canada College and subsequently at the Ontario College of Art (1948-1952). After travels in Europe (1953-54) he worked for Graphic Films in Toronto (1955-56), producing his first independent film, A-Z. His first solo exhibition as a painter was at the Greenwich Gallery in Toronto in 1956. Between 1961 and 1967, mostly while living in New York, Snow produced work in the Pop-art mode based on the silhouette of a young woman, entitled Walking Woman, probably his most widely recognized creation. A series of 11 stainless steel sculptures of the image was created for the Ontario pavilion at Expo 67 and is now in the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario. After moving to New York in 1964, he made films regarded as Minimalist, such as New York Ear and Eye Control (1964) and Wavelength (1966-67). Returning to Toronto in 1972, Snow worked mainly on cinematic and photographic projects including ‘Rameau’s Nephew’ by Diderot (Thanx to Dennis Young) by Wilma Schoen. His work is concerned with the nature of media themselves, with perception and with the interrelation of language, sound and meaning. Snow has been the subject of exhibitions and retrospectives in Toronto, Vancouver and Paris.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
Fonds consists of Michael Snow’s correspondence with family, other artists, musicians, filmmakers, dealers and curators; sketchbooks, art portfolios and sound recordings of the artist’s work; photo-documentation and other materials related to his artworks, publications, music and films; financial and legal records; reviews and other writings about the artist; posters and promotional material from exhibitions. Fonds is comprised of the following series: Correspondence (1992 donation) Walking Woman projects Film projects (1992 donation) Music projects (1992 donation) Other artistic projects (1992 donation) Public commissions (1992 donation) Financial records (1992 donation) Legal records (1992 donation) Reviews Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre Publications Sketchbooks Early portfolios Correspondence (1996 donation) Film projects (1996 donation) Other artistic projects (1996 donation) Public commissions (1996 donation) Music projects (1996 donation) Book/writing projects Secondary writings/Writings on Snow Financial records (1996 donation) Legal records (1996 donation) Posters Mailers
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Open
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright is held by the creator. Copyright belonging to other parties, such as that of photographs, may still rest with the creator(s) of these items. It is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain permission to publish any part of the fonds.
Languages of the material
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Inventory with file list available.
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
The Michael Snow fonds was donated by the artist in 1992 and 1996.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Further accruals are expected.
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
Includes 40 posters, 10 portfolios, 10 sketchbooks, 8 sound recordings
General note
Some documents in French, German, Hungarian, Polish, Dutch and Japanese.