Corno studied at the University of Quebec in Montreal where she obtained a BA in Fine Art turning to a full time painting career in her early 20s. Her first representation was at the Clarence Gagnon Gallery in Montreal.
By the late 1980s, she had become the darling of Montreal collectors and one of the most sought-after Quebec artists. Her reputation was quickly growing across Canada with shows in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver. She was the featured artist at the Quebec Pavilion at Expo 86 in Vancouver which propelled her visibility to new heights. During this period and into the early 90s, she was represented by Yves Laroche Gallery and was becoming one of the most well-respected Canadian artists.
With a strong market in Canada, Corno turned to the US and had shows at the Morgan Gallery in Boston and San Diego State University. But New York City was an irresistible magnet, so she moved there in 1992. To jump start her career, she participated in group shows and various art events. Following in the footsteps of O'Keefe and Dali, she was the featured artist at the prestigious Steuben Glass. Things just kept getting better and better!
The new millennium brought Corno to Opera Gallery in NYC which began representing her work worldwide. In a few years, she became their best-selling contemporary artist. Her work is now on permanent display in all their prestigious locations: Paris, London, Monaco, Singapore, Venice, Geneva, Miami, Hong Kong, Seoul, and Dubai.
Playing a balancing act of high energy dichotomies that stimulate the imagination and throw the viewer off balance, her new expressionist style superimposes itself over underlying intricate figurative details. The resulting fusion has a contemporary resonance and appeal. A superb colorist, she incorporates intense textures into her surfaces and uses bold brush strokes.
With an ever-increasing international demand for her work, Corno will have had several major exhibitions by the end of 2009. In March, Singapore was the headline followed in May by her first one-woman show at Opera Gallery Dubai. Another landmark for this year is the Montreal International Jazz Festival choosing Corno as their Guest Artist to celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2009 which coincides with the 30-year mark of Corno’s artistic career. The Jazz Festival commissioned a large painting which was unveiled at the opening of their new Festival Gallery in mid-June. AKA Gallery scheduled its late Spring opening to coincide with this prestigious event. During the Summer, the Thompson-Landry Gallery in Toronto is featuring Corno’s work in a special anniversary celebration of their own gallery. Another important exhibition at Opera Gallery London will take place in late fall.
These exhibitions follow on the heels of several landmarks in 2008. First she wowed Hong Kong with a one-woman show, then she took Paris by storm with Corno & Moz followed closely by a group show MADE IN NY which juxtaposed her bold paintings with the American masters who influenced her figurative work – Warhol, in particular. Then she made a splash in Montreal and in December it was Roc-Roussey & Corno, another blockbuster exhibit at Opera Gallery NYC.
Briefly looking back, 2007 seemed to be an endless stream of Toronto events! In August, she was the Guest of Honour for the launching of the Fido Spot where her work was projected on the largest state of the art outdoor digital projector system in Canada. In June, her work was featured at Luminato, Toronto's Festival of Arts and Creativity, in addition to being shown at the Thompson Landry Gallery.
Other notable exhibits include in 2006 an exhibition at AKA Gallery in Montreal's Golden Mile where she is now permanently represented. The opening was featured on prime time national news. At the beginning of the year, Corno had been the featured artist at the Premiere of Alegria, a spectacular show created by the world-famous Cirque du Soleil at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London. Corno's works were hung in the VIP room as well as the swank Roof Gardens where more celebrations took place. In tandem with her Cirque du Soleil show, Corno’s art was also featured at Opera Gallery London. The year was rounded off with exhibitions at the Left Coast Gallery in Los Angeles, and a sold-out two-woman show at Opera Gallery Hong Kong.
2005 highlights include an interview for the documentary The Art of the Nude directed by Emmy award-winner Bernar Hébert which premiered at the International Festival of Films on Art, and later aired on Bravo!, Art-TV, France 5 and CBC Television. Before that it was the Massive Media Techno-Graffiti Event at the upscale Columbus Circle and Union Square in New York City. Corno's art was projected larger than life on building façades in bold high-tech fashion, a crowd stopper even for jaded New Yorkers. Corno was also the featured artist at the high-brow international fashion event The Train creating a 45 foot mural for fashionistas, curators, designers, diplomats and celebrities.
Corno’s works can be found in museums, corporate collections and private collections all over the world. In 2009, she was chosen by MORE MAGAZINE to be among the Top 40 over 40 women in Canada. Chatelaine Magazine included her in their list of the Top 100 Women in Quebec. After much hard work, she never takes her success for granted and encourages young artists to follow their dream because sometimes... dreams really do come true.
reference: http://www.akagallery.com |
