George Franklin Arbuckle

Canadian [1909-2001]

Ontario Society of Artists, Royal Canadian Academy

Arbuckle studied at the Ontario College of Art under J.W. Beatty and J.E.H. MacDonald. He attended summer classes at Franz Johnston’s Georgian Bay art school. During the war, he turned his hand to commercial work and became an extremely successful illustrator. He worked for Bomac Engravers for several years at Ottawa and Montreal but he returned to free lance work in 1944. His special knowledge of historical subjects contributed greatly to his stature as an illustrator. Much of this knowledge was obtained from a friend and teacher, C. W. Jeffreys. His fine art painting encompassed both realism and impressionism.

His MacLean’s cover paintings of people, reveal his sensitivity to facial expressions striking a happy medium between caricature and realism. One of his particularly successful illustrations for MacLean’s magazine covered two pages used for Joseph Schull’s “William Lawrence and his wonderful windjammer.” This large illustration of a ship was reproduced in Canadian Art magazine in connection with the 7th Annual Exhibition of Advertising and Editorial Art; other works by him also appeared in that issue. Two of his larger projects have been written about in Weekend magazine. He has won the Jessie Dow award twice and is regarded as one of the more prominent illustrators in Canada.

His love of outdoor painting was rarely satisfied due to his numerous commitments of other types of art work. His more important commissions include: a mural 32 ft., 10 inches by 17 ft. for the City Hall at Hamilton, Ontario; mural for the Sawinigan Water and Power Company, Quebec; the design for tapestries 30 ft. by 19 ft. each, for the Royal Bank of Canada Building on King Street, Toronto. The tapestries were woven at Aubusson, France. Barbara Moon’s article in MacLean’s magazine in 1959 covered many aspects of his life and that of his artist wife Frances-Anne Johnston, daughter of founding Group of Seven member Frank Johnston.

Franklin Arbuckle is represented in the International Business Machines Collection of Contemporary Art, the Seagram Collection of Paintings and the R.C.A. Diploma Collection in the National Gallery of Canada. He is also represented in other leading galleries in North America and Europe. He taught at the Ontario College of Art and continued his career as a free lance artist. He was a member of the Ontario Society of Artists and the Canadian Society of Book Illustrators. He became an associate member of the Royal Canadian Academy in 1936, and a full member in 1945. He served as president of the RCA from 1960 to 1964.

Source: “A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, Volume I: A-F”, compiled by Colin S. MacDonald, Canadian Paperbacks Publishing Ltd, Ottawa, 1977

George Franklin Arbuckle

A Few Notable Results from Hodgins Art Auctions - George Franklin Arbuckle

George Franklin Arbuckle

QUEBEC FARMHOUSE WITH HORSE AND SLEIGH
oil on board
12 x 16 in.

Sold for $ 1,600 (hammer price) – May 2013

George Franklin Arbuckle - painting

George Franklin Arbuckle

GOOSEBERRY, NFLD; 1982
oil on Masonite
12 x 16 in.

Sold for $ 1,500 (hammer price) – November 2016

George Franklin Arbuckle

MINAS BASIN, BLOMIDON, N.S.; 1980
oil on Masonite
12 x 16 in.

Sold for $ 900 (hammer price) – November 2016

George Franklin Arbuckle

HILTON, ONT; 1985
oil on Masonite
12 x 16 in.

Sold for $ 600 (hammer price) – November 2014

We are always seeking works by George Franklin Arbuckle to be included in future auctions.

If you are interested in selling with us, or wish to get our opinion of the value of your artworks, please contact us for an appointment to evaluate your artwork for auction.

Alternately, you can easily submit details of your artworks through our Request of Auction Estimates form.

More Extensive Results from our Previous Auctions for George Franklin Arbuckle

1,840.00
Price Realized: $

Artist: George Franklin Arbuckle

Title: QUEBEC FARMHOUSE WITH HORSE AND SLEIGH

Medium: oil on board

Dimensions: 12 x 16 in. (30.5 x 40.6 cm)

Notes:

signed

800.00
Estimate:
1,200.00
 - 

LOT: 284

Auction: 2013 May | Hodgins Art Auctions

702.00
Price Realized: $

Artist: George Franklin Arbuckle

Title: HILTON, ONT

Date: 1985

Medium: oil on masonite

Dimensions: 12 x 16 in. (30.5 x 40.6 cm)

Notes:

signed, titled & dated

800.00
Estimate:
1,200.00
 - 

LOT: 223

Auction: 2014 November | Hodgins Art Auctions

175.50
Price Realized: $

Artist: George Franklin Arbuckle

Title: LAKE LOUISE

Medium: colour serigraph on paper

Dimensions: 24 x 30 in. (61 x 76.2 cm)

Notes:

signed in the screen

250.00
Estimate:
300.00
 - 

LOT: 1096

Auction: 2015 February | Hodgins Art Auctions

198.90
Price Realized: $

Artist: George Franklin Arbuckle

Title: QUEBEC TOWNSHIP, WINTER

Medium: oil on card

Dimensions: 4.5 x 6.75 in. (11.4 x 17.1 cm)

Notes:

signed

200.00
Estimate:
300.00
 - 

LOT: 9

Auction: 2016 September | Hodgins Art Auctions

1,755.00
Price Realized: $

Artist: George Franklin Arbuckle

Title: GOOSEBERRY, NFLD

Date: 1982

Medium: oil on masonite

Dimensions: 12 x 16 in. (30.5 x 40.6 cm)

Notes:

signed, titled & dated

1,000.00
Estimate:
1,500.00
 - 

LOT: 85

Auction: 2016 November | Hodgins Art Auctions

1,053.00
Price Realized: $

Artist: George Franklin Arbuckle

Title: MINAS BASIN, BLOMIDON, N.S.

Date: 1980

Medium: oil on masonite

Dimensions: 12 x 16 in. (30.5 x 40.6 cm)

Notes:

signed, titled & dated

1,000.00
Estimate:
1,500.00
 - 

LOT: 87

Auction: 2016 November | Hodgins Art Auctions

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