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GREGOR, Helen Frances

Born
Prague, Czechoslavakia, 1921
Died
Seoul, Korea, 1989
Biography synopsis
Helen Frances Gregor was given a liberal education, and excelled in visual arts from an early age. Gregor’s sights were set on secondary schooling in theatrical design when the threat of war called her family’s future into question. Because they were eventually forced to flee to England, she continued her art studies, redirecting her focus toward interior design. With a goal to study at the Royal College of Art, Gregor first completed foundation art courses at Newark Technical College and Birmingham College of Art. Gregor had her first two exhibitions at the Czechoslovak Club followed by a show at Liberty’s of London. Once at the RCA, Gregor became a student of the School of Design, and discovered her love for and fascination with textiles, though her work would continue to be influenced by her architectural inclinations. It was in the late 1940s that she and her husband, Tibor, decided to immigrate to Canada. Shortly after their arrival, Gregor was given a teaching position at the Ontario College of Art where she challenged the division between fine and applied art and founded the department for textiles. Gregor is remembered as an influential teacher and internationally renowned artist, recognized for mastering the relationship between tapestry and the built environment. She had a solo exhibition "Helen Frances Gregor: Textiles in Architecture" at the Textile Museum in 1990. Her work has been shown at the Triennial of Tapestry in Lodz, Poland, and she has received numerous commissions for both public and private buildings. She won Ontario Crafts Council's Mather Award in 1982 and was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in 1987. Her work is held in the National Gallery of Canada. Craft Ontario has named an award for excellence in Contemporary Textiles Craft after Helen Frances Gregor.
Media used
Tapestry
Textiles
Education
Royal College of Art, London, England, 1940c - 1944? (under Ernest William Tristram, Henry Moore, Roland Emett)
Memberships
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
Ontario Society of Artists, 1969
Ontario Crafts Council, 1983, Life Membership
File & Archive locations
University of Calgary Library, AB
University of British Columbia - Fine Arts Library
Hamilton Public Library, ON - Local History and Archives Department
Winnipeg Art Gallery, MA - Clara Lander Library
National Gallery of Canada, ON - Library and Archives
Art Gallery of Ontario - Edward P. Taylor Research Library and Archives
Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, QC - Media Centre
Vancouver Art Gallery, BC - Library
Canadian Museum of Civilization Archives, QC
Canadian Women Artists History Initiative Documentation Centre, QC
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Writings about
"Gregor: A Study in Motion." Ontario Craft 14.1 (Spring-Mar. 1989): 7
"Handwoven History on Display." Globe and Mail (Toronto) 7 Jun. 1986: D24
"Helen Gregor: Artist Pioneer in Fibre Arts." Toronto Star 29 May 1989: A4
Art Gallery of Windsor. Three Canadian Fibre Artists: Gregor, Rousseau-Vermette, Staniszkis. Windsor: 1981
Baker, William R.M.. "Toronto—A City in Transition." Shuttle, Spindle and Dyepot 17 (Winter 1985): 42-44
Cameron, Janice, et al. Eclectic Eve. Toronto: Ontario College of Art and Design, 1974
Canada. Dept. of External Affairs, Cultural Affairs Division. La tapisserie canadienne contemporaine: exposition/Canadian Contemporary Tapestry: Exhibition Ottawa: Ministrère des approvisionnements et services Canada, 1979
Centre culturel canadien. Contrepoints: Helen Frances Gregor, tapisseries Paris: 1977
Cherry, Zena. "44 Artists to be Shown in 100-Year Retrospective." Globe and Mail 29 Aug. 1972: 11
Cherry, Zena. "Academy Show at Ex." Globe and Mail 15 Aug. 1980: P12
Cherry, Zena. "Cards are Collectors Items." Globe and Mail (Toronto) 29 Dec. 1978: 11
Cherry, Zena. "Churchill Statue on Square." Globe and Mail 22 Oct. 1977: 19
Cherry, Zena. "First Big Speech as a Bureaucrat." Globe and Mail (Toronto) 3 May 1977: 15
Cherry, Zena. "International Union." Globe and Mail (Toronto) 13 Jul. 1977: 11
Cherry, Zena. "Mrs. Trudeau at a Photo Show." Globe and Mail (Toronto) 8 Dec. 1976: 15
Crawford, Gail. A Fine Line: Studio Crafts in Ontario from 1930 to the Present Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1998
Duffy, Helen. "Helen Gregor, ou l'esthétique de l'harmonie." Vie des arts 25.101 (Winter 1980-81): 30-32
Flood, Sandra. Canadian Craft and Museum Practice, 1900-1950 Hull: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2001
Himel, Susan and Elaine Lambert. "Challenge for Artists in Textiles. Art in Craft." Globe and Mail 8 Oct. 1981: T09
Koffler Gallery. The Pierre Pauli Collection: Contemporary Textile Art Toronto: 1986
Kritzwiser, Kay. "Insurance Firm's Tribute to Ontario Society of Artists." Globe and Mail 6 Apr. 1972: 15
Kritzwiser, Kay. "Textiles Become Dramatic Sculptures." Globe and Mail 27 Oct. 1973: 30
Kritzwiser, Kay. "Toronto History is Woven in this Art." Globe and Mail (Toronto) 4 May 1979: 17
Marein, Shirley. Off the Loom: Creating with Fibre New York: Viking Press, 1972
Parkin, Jeanne. Art in Architecture: Art for the Built Environment in the Province of Ontario Toronto: Visual Arts of Ontario, 1982
Purdie, James. "From Tears, Rage to 3-part Harmony." Globe and Mail 25 Dec. 1976: 28
Regensteiner, Elsa. The Art of Weaving New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1981
Sinclair, Catriona. "Helen Frances Gregor: Textiles in Architecture." Ontario Craft 15.3 (Fall 1990): 31-33
Sisler, Rebecca. Passionate Spirits: A History of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, 1880-1980 Toronto: Clarke, Irwin, 1980
Thomson, Francis Paul. Tapestry: Mirror of History New York: Crown Publishers, 1980
Verlet, Pierre, et al.. The Book of Tapestry: History and Technique New York: Vendome Press, 1978
Von Finckenstein, Maria ed. Nuvisavik: The Place Where We Weave. Ottawa: Canadian Museum of Civilzation, 2002

Writings by
Gregor, Helen Frances. The Fabric of my Life: Reflections of Helen Frances Gregor Toronto: Firefly Books, 1987
Gregor, Helen Frances. "Tapestry in Canada. An Ancient Artform Blossoms in the New World." The Rotarian 142.4 (Apr. 1983): 40-41

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