Claire Kerwin, RCA "Surréagence No. I" Etching

Updated September 5, 2026

Lot number	43
Estimate	800.00 - 1,500.00 CAD
Category	Fine Art & Prints
Auction	IMPORTANT CANADIAN ART AUCTION Wednesday Sept 16th 7pm
Date	September 16, 2026 at 6:59 PM EDT
Auction house	Erin Auctions
Location	Erin

Artist's Proof (A.P.) Etching & Embossed Block Print Medium: Etching with embossed relief (Artist's Proof) on paper Title: Surréagence No. I Edition: Artist's Proof (A.P.)Signature: Signed in pencil lower right, Claire Kerwin Sight: 30" x 24.5" Frame: 36" x 30.5" Provenance: Petro Canada Collection An exceptional original Artist's Proof by acclaimed Canadian printmaker Claire Kerwin, featuring her distinctive geometric abstract vocabulary. Executed in warm umber and earth tones with richly embossed surfaces, the composition combines etching, relief printing, and collaged textural elements to create a sophisticated architectural abstraction. This work exemplifies Kerwin's innovative printmaking techniques developed during the 1970s and 1980s, when she became recognized for combining etched plates with lead, copper, embossed papers, and mixed-media processes. Artist's Proofs are produced outside the numbered edition and are often especially desirable to collectors. Artist Biography: Claire Kerwin, RCA (1919–2005) was a distinguished Belgian-born Canadian artist, printmaker, and mixed-media innovator. Born in Châtelet, Belgium, she immigrated to Canada in 1947 and established her studio in Toronto, where she became one of Canada's most respected experimental printmakers.Kerwin worked across numerous media—including painting, collage, printmaking, acrylics, pastel, and metalwork—but became especially celebrated for her groundbreaking embossed etchings incorporating copper, lead, handmade papers, and relief elements. Her abstract compositions frequently explore the relationship between urban architecture and natural forms through richly textured surfaces and geometric structures. A member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA), Kerwin exhibited extensively throughout Canada, Europe, Brazil, and the United States. Her work is represented in numerous public, corporate, and private collections, including the Art Gallery of Northumberland, Bell Canada, Imperial Oil, and other major Canadian institutions. She was also awarded the Medal of Service by the City of Toronto in recognition of her contributions to Canadian art and culture.Today, Claire Kerwin's innovative printmaking remains highly regarded among collectors of post-war Canadian art, particularly her embossed etchings and mixed-media graphic works, which represent an important contribution to the evolution of contemporary Canadian printmaking.

Claire Kerwin, RCA "Surréagence No. I" Etching

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