PROVENANCE
Collection of the late Jo Hardy (Artist and friend of Tony Fomison) Purchased from Tony Fomison's exhibition at the Canterbury Society of Arts CSA, 1970

EXHIBITED
Canterbury Society of Arts CSA, 1970 Fomison was working as Exhibitions Officer at the CSA at this time Original exhibition label affixed verso

CONDITION REPORT Available on request

Note left by Jo Hardy to her son:
I first met Tony in 1969 when my Christchurch flatmate came home with the newly released Van Morrison LP 'Astral Weeks'. It was so exciting, he said we must take this around to my friend Tony Fomison, so we hopped on my motorbike and took 'Astral Weeks' to Tony's Beveridge Street studio where he was doing a large pencil drawing later published as a centrefold in Canta (University of Canterbury Student Newspaper). We remained friends until his death. We said goodbye (the day before he died), at the adobe cottage, Long Beach, Russell, February 5 1990. I DO NOT agree with the suggestion in Martin Edmonds book 'The Resurrection', Auckland University Press, 1999 that Tony and Phil (Philip Clairmont) deliberately sabotaged the archival soundness of their paintings in a principled stance against wealthy collectors. Both Tony and Phil cared about their materials, it was just that, as impoverished painters, sometimes they had to use whatever meagre materials were at hand. The paint on this work has deteriorated markedly over the years. I think Tony used an acrylic undercoat then painted black oil paint, diluted with turpentine over the top then rubbed it off in places to create the toned edges. I think the turpentine has separated from the acrylic undercoat, creating the bloom.

Christchurch born Fomison studied under Rudi Gopas at the Canterbury School of Fine Arts. In 1963 he received a travel grant from the Arts Council enabling travels to England, Italy and Spain. He lived in Spain for three years and had the opportunity to view the influential works of Goya. In 1967 Fomison returned to Christchurch. His work, including a larger rendition of this subject, was shown at Auckland's New Vision Gallery in 1972. The show marked the beginning of Fomison's rise to national prominence as a painter and foreshadowed his move to Auckland the following year. In Auckland Fomison met Colin McCahon,an important friend and mentor and pursued his early interest in Polynesian art. There is a confronting, nightmarish quality to much of Fomison's work, it both intrigues and repels. Carcinoma of the Tongue is a powerfully memorable image, aptly rendered in stark chiaroscuro. Fomison referenced medical publications seeking out images of the diseased and disfigured, he battled the personal demon of drug addiction and died aged 50 at Waitangi, during the Waitangi Day ceremony. In 1994 a major retrospective of his work was held at Wellington's City Gallery.