Arnaud Maggs

Arnaud Maggs (1926 – November 17, 2012)^[1] was a Canadian artist and photographer. Born in Montreal, Maggs is best known for stark portraits arranged in grid-like arrangements.^[2]

After training and working as a graphic designer, Maggs turned to commercial photography in the 1960s. At the age of 47, he decided to become a visual artist concentrating on photography and conceptualism and focusing on such things as death notices and tags documenting child labour in French textile factories.^[2]

A documentary film about Maggs and his partner of 25 years, Spring Hurlbut, titled "Spring and Arnaud", premiered at 2013 Hot Docs Film Festival.

Works

Joseph Beuys: 100 Profile Views, Düsseldorf, 21.10.80 (detail), 1980

Characteristic of Maggs' early work are his black-and-white portraits taken from the front, side and back, and presented in grid formation^[3] exemplified in the internationally acclaimed portraits of Joseph Beuys, Joseph Beuys: 100 Frontal Views, Düsseldorf, 21.10.80 and Joseph Beuys: 100 Profile Views, Düsseldorf, 21.10.80.^[4] Created in Beuys' Düsseldorf home in 1980, the images appear to be identical, but are 200 different photographs of Beuys attempting to sit completely still.^[4] In 2006, Maggs was awarded the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts.^[5] In 2012 Maggs was awarded the Scotiabank Photography Award.^[6]

A postage stamp depicting Magg's photograph of Yousuf Karsh was issued on March 22, 2013 by Canada Post as part of their Canadian Photography series.^[7][8]

Bibliography

• Allen, Karyn. Arnaud Maggs Photographs 1975-84. Calgary: Nickle Arts Museum, 1984.
• Alleti, Vince. "Special Collections." The Village Voice (18 August 1992).
• Bedard, Catherine and Keziere, Russell. Arnaud Maggs: Notes Capitales. Paris: Canadian Cultural Centre, 2000.
• Blanchette, Manon. "A Work by Arnaud Maggs." Le Journal du Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, (November/December 1990).
• Campbell, James D. "Arnaud Maggs at Centre Saidye Bronfman and at Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur, Montreal." C Magazine (Spring 1991).
• Craven, George M. Object & Image. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1982.
• Drouin-Brisebois, Josée, Stainback, Charles, and Vogl, Rhiannon. Arnaud Maggs: Identification. Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 2013.
• Franchette, Frédérique. "Double foyer pour Atget." Liberation (19 December 2000).
• Goldberg, Vicki. "Seven Thousand Pictures are Better than One." The New York Times (23 August 1992).
• Holubizky, Ihor. Numbering. Hamilton: Art Gallery of Hamilton, 1990.
• Jenkner, Ingrid. Arnaud Maggs Numberworks. Guelph: Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, 1989.
• Keziere, Russell. "Arnaud Maggs: Convergence Without Coincidence." CV Photo #39 (Summer 1997).
• Lindberg, E. Theodore. Arnaud Maggs, An Exhibition of Selected Works 1981-83. Vancouver: The *Charles H. Scott Gallery, Emily Carr College of Art and Design, 1984.
• Maclear, Kyo. "Arnaud Maggs." Toronto Life (April 1999).
• Macwilliam, David. Arnaud Maggs. Paris: Centre Culturel Canadien, 1980.
• Monk, Philip and Sutnik, Maia-Mari. Arnaud Maggs: Works 1976-1999. Toronto: The Power Plant, 1999.
• Portis, Ben. "Evidence of Existence: A conversation with Toronto-based photographer Arnaud Maggs." Art on Paper (May/June 2008).
• Popescu, Doina; Hackett, Sophie, and Sutnik, Maia-Mari. Arnaud Maggs. Göttingen/Toronto: Steidl/ScotiaBank Photography Award, 2013;
• Roegiers, Patrick. double vie, double vue. Paris: Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, 1996.
• Stainback, Charles. Special Collections: The Photographic Order from Pop to Now. New York: International Center of Photography, 1992.
• Sramek, Peter. "Seeing People/Seeing Space." British Journal of Photography (18 May 1984).
• Walsh, George. Contemporary Photographers. London, England: St. James Press, 1981.

References