BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS  

Frederick Charles Cunningham

1902(?) -


Frederick C. Cunningham was born in Ireland in 1902, according to one source, but his marriage certificate notes him as being born in Southampton, England. He was an illustrator, who worked at one time for Montgomery Ward & Company in Chicago. He was a pupil of Frederick H. Varley and J.W.G. Macdonald in Vancouver, and of Francis (Franz) Johnston. He also studied in Europe, and exhibited at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto.

In 1931-32 he was a partner in Cunningham Foster Studio in Vancouver.

In 1932 he was a signatory to an agreement to boycott the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa for their exhibition and purchase policies related to Canadian artists.

He had one of the earliest solo exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1933. He was a painter in watercolour and oil.

He also showed work in the B.C. Artists Christmas exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1933.

According to BC Vital Statistics he married Kathleen M. Creelman in Vancouver on July 11, 1936. He was noted as age 36, she was 23. Cunningham was living in West Vancouver at the time, occupation "artist."


SOLO EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION LOCATION
1933 March 25 - April 4 Watercolour Sketches VAG

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION ARTWORK
1933 Dec. 1 - 17 VAG   B.C. Artists Christmas Exhibition Burrard Inlet
Moonlight in Cornwall
Colwyn Bay, Wales
1936 Sept. 18 - Oct. 11 VAG   B.C. Artists 5th Annual Stamp Falls, V.I.
1936 Oct. 15 - 20 VAG   B.C. Artists Chilliwack Exhibition Stamp Falls, V.I.
1937 Sept. 17 - Oct. 10 VAG   B.C. Artists 6th Annual Mending Nets
Toby
1938 Sept. 16 - Oct. 9 VAG   B.C. Artists 7th Annual Vine Maples

References

WHO'S WHO IN NORTHWEST ART (refer to WWNA41)

BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF ARTISTS IN CANADA (refer to BIAC03)
      1 reference cited for Cunningham: WWNA above.

CITY & PROVINCIAL DIRECTORIES 1933-34 (refer to DIR)

B.C. VITAL STATISTICS ON-LINE (refer to BCVS)

Clippings

" ... the 118 artists who have signed the agreement to date ... include ... F.C. Cunningham ... "
      From "Canadian Artists Unite to Boycott National Gallery" by The Canadian Press
      Montreal Gazette, December 8 1932

"Art Notes" by Doris Milligan
      News Herald, April 1 1933

"Many other well-known artists are represented, including ... F.C. Cunningham ... "
      From "Bargains in Art" by D.S.M.
      Vancouver Sun, December 1 1933

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