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 Overview
Media Production
Collection Management
Conservation
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News
June 2007
The Canadiana Fund adds donation of art from the Estate of Toni Onley for Canada’s official residences, including the Prime Minister’s residence, and the Governor General’s residence.
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July 2007
Outdoor conservation team attempts rescue of totems damaged during windstorm in January. Sculptural elements are extracted successfully, but more extensive damage to support columns is discovered.
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August 2007
Jay begins conducting video making workshop for federal maximum security inmates, creating documentary of mural painting.
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Toni Onley Limited/ Toni Onley Archives
A Post Mortem Report
By Jay Samwald
Project Manager
November 2004 -June 2007
On February 29th, 2004 Toni Onley had a fatal plane crash into the Fraser River near Mission BC.
In the fall of 2004 I began reviving my work as a singer songwriter. Back in the early eighties I had collaborated with Gordon Bertram writing a bit of music. I called Gordon that fall, who invited me to visit his newly configured recording studio at his home with his wife Lynn Onley- Bertram. At that time Lynn asked me if I would like to house sit at Toni’s house in south Vancouver. I agreed and Lynn introduced me to Dennis Robinson, Toni’s accountant since the late seventies and the Executor of the Estate.
In mid October Dennis invited me to assist him with the inventory of Toni’s art at his residence. Arriving at the house on a gray October afternoon, I was startled and saddened to see how decrepit and chaotic the once spectacular residence had become. The house smelled strongly of fried food, chlorine from the pool, and cat urine. As we began to photograph and inventory the works, I had my first encounter with Gloria Onley. Gloria was very angry, but the effect was more comedic than disturbing.
Over the next two weeks as I kept returning to continue the inventory, it became apparent that work we had itemized was being reshuffled to other areas of the house after we had counted them. Art work stored in Toni’s studio was in jeopardy of being damaged as water was seeping in through the roof, and down the walls. Works were stacked in a haphazard fashion with no interleaving, and the smell of animal urine was powerful. Bed sheets draped over the oil paintings had water stains, and the furnace of the house was set high. It was a very poor way to house a collection.
I had learned that within two weeks of Toni’s accident, Gloria had begun selling Toni’s art. As the record will show, before Toni’s body was recovered the Winchester Gallery had begun harrowing through the collection to generate what eventually would be a larger sale than Toni’s famous private sale to the "Fraser Valley Phantom", in 1980. The Winchester apparently sold hundreds of water colours paintings, resulting in a substantial cash infusion to the estate. The relationship between Gloria and the Winchester raised several questions. Where was the massive amount of art work being sold; why had Gloria forwarded proprietary business records and Toni’s Will to the Winchester; why weren’t these phenomenal sales publicized ? Over the next couple of years more questions about the relationship would emerge, but it was apparent that the dealers who were invited to pick through the collection at Toni’s residence, definitely had the "pick of the litter".
To attempt to get an accurate idea of the size and scale of the collection, in order to make a proper tax statement and a reasonable business plan for dealing with the details, Dennis changed the locks on Toni’s studio and hired security guards to ensure, no more work would be flying out of the premises on Yuculta.
Toni’s last wife Yukiko had her studios at the artist live work facility at sixth and Granville. Lynn Onley was encouraging Dennis to move the collection to a vacant unit there. As the building had been chosen by Michael Cahen to house his fathers collection, The Oscar Cahen Archives, it seemed that it was an excellent choice to house the Onley Collection. The modern building was very secure, and as it is cement, would be fireproof. Located in the core of the gallery district, it seemed central and convenient.
Dennis signed the lease with the landlord and I began to oversee the necessary preparations to move the collection into a safe and secure facillity. First I had steel grates installed front and back. The rear of the facillity we were able to purchase prefabricated articulated metal gates. For the front display I contracted an ornimental fabricator and designed works to reflect the spirit of Toni’s landscapes. We contracted an alarm company, and oversaw the necessary painting, flooring, and electrical work. We installed industrial light dimmers to keep the lumens at an acceptable level for display. In addition I installed an ACR monitering system so that I could track the humidity and temperature of the Archives on an ongoing digital graph.
When the facillity was safe and secure, I rented a five ton truck, hired some seasoned art movers and moved the entire collection from Yuculta in one day of great effort.
As 2004 was ending, I generated a business plan for the Toni Onley Archives, outlining my vision for continuing a rational approach to the sales, while assisting Dennis Robinson to realize the legacy projects that Toni had emphasized throughout his will. I believe that Toni was of sound mind when he asked that Dennis be his Executor. Dennis had provided Toni with professional advice, through his first big sale, through Toni’s famous battle with Revenue Canada, and I felt that the best way to honour Toni, would be to honour his stated wishes for the Executor and the the Will.
Although I had specified in a clause on the title page of my business plan that this was for the exclusive consideration of Dennis and Toni’s adult children, within a few days of submitting my draft, somehow the Winchester Gallery had a copy for their perusal.
As 2004 passed into 2005 I signed a contract with Toni Onley Ltd for my services as Project Manager.
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