Raymond John Mead
Raymond John Mead
1921 - 1998
CGP CSGA P11
Raymond John Mead was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England in 1921. His grandmother was an art collector and she fostered Mead’s appreciation of art at an early age. From 1936 to 1939, Mead studied at the Slade School of Art, where he saw the work of prominent English artists of the time. Soon after, Mead joined the Royal Air Force, and trained as a fighter pilot. During this time, he was sent to Hamilton, Ontario, to train RCAF pilots, and also traveled to the United States to train American bomber pilots. Mead returned to Canada in 1946, settling in Hamilton.

Artist Hortense Gordon, who also lived in Hamilton, became a mentor, and she encouraged Mead to meet other artists who, like him, had found work in the advertising world to support themselves while continuing to paint. Beginning in the 1950s, Mead joined several art societies and participated in many group shows. Most notably, his work was included in the 1953 exhibition Abstracts at Home, which was sponsored by Simpson’s Department store in Toronto. This show led to the formation of Painters Eleven, and their first exhibition was at the Roberts Gallery in 1954. Being a part of this group gave Mead the opportunity to exhibit his work with artists participating in similar movements. He was aware of the leading edge developments in American abstraction, as he was a friend of Charles Egan of the Egan Gallery in New York, a showplace for major Abstract Expressionist artists.

As Mead’s style evolved from figurative to abstract, his work became characterized by a bold treatment of colour and simple yet sophisticated compositions. His ability to develop colour fields through layers of underpainting was a technique he cultivated throughout his career, and this was demonstrated in the flat planes of colour in his later works. Mead moved to Montreal in 1958, and continued with his commercial work and his painting. His prolific art-making and successful career as an exhibiting artist continued for many years there.
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Objects by Raymond John Mead sold for $64,350
Raymond John Mead
Objects
28 x 36 in, 71.1 x 91.4 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000 CDN
Sold for: $64,350 CDN (premium included)
Spring 2011 - 1st Session on Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Painting by Raymond John Mead sold for $64,350
Raymond John Mead
Painting
48 x 70 in, 121.9 x 177.8 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $35,000 - $45,000 CDN
Sold for: $64,350 CDN (premium included)
Fall 2009 - 1st Session on Thursday, November 26, 2009
Winter by Raymond John Mead sold for $46,000
Raymond John Mead
Winter
40 x 38 in, 101.6 x 96.5 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000 CDN
Sold for: $46,000 CDN (premium included)
September 2007 - 1st Session on Saturday, September 29, 2007
Summer by Raymond John Mead sold for $43,125
Raymond John Mead
Summer
45 x 48 in, 114.3 x 121.9 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $7,000 - $9,000 CDN
Sold for: $43,125 CDN (premium included)
September 2007 - 1st Session on Saturday, September 29, 2007
Winter by Raymond John Mead sold for $31,250
Raymond John Mead
Winter
40 1/4 x 37 3/4 in, 102.2 x 95.9 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000 CDN
Sold for: $31,250 CDN (premium included)
Post-War & Contemporary Abstraction on Thursday, September 26, 2024
Melville Island by Raymond John Mead sold for $29,500
Raymond John Mead
Melville Island
50 x 48 in, 127 x 121.9 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $30,000 - $50,000 CDN
Sold for: $29,500 CDN (premium included)
Fall 2015 - 1st Session on Thursday, November 26, 2015
Abstract by Raymond John Mead sold for $29,500
Raymond John Mead
Abstract
32 x 46 in, 81.3 x 116.8 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $25,000 - $35,000 CDN
Sold for: $29,500 CDN (premium included)
September 2016 - 4th Session on Thursday, September 29, 2016
Dark Center by Raymond John Mead sold for $29,250
Raymond John Mead
Dark Center
24 x 20 in, 61 x 50.8 cm
circa 1958
oil on canvas
Estimate: $8,000 - $10,000 CDN
Sold for: $29,250 CDN (premium included)
Spring 2010 - 1st Session on Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Stargazer by Raymond John Mead sold for $26,550
Raymond John Mead
Stargazer
60 x 72 in, 152.4 x 182.9 cm
acrylic on burlap on canvas
Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000 CDN
Sold for: $26,550 CDN (premium included)
Fall 2015 - 1st Session on Thursday, November 26, 2015
River Cover by Raymond John Mead sold for $20,000
Raymond John Mead
River Cover
65 x 77 in, 165.1 x 195.6 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000 CDN
Sold for: $20,000 CDN (premium included)
Post-War & Contemporary Art on Wednesday, June 23, 2021