Law Times

PAGE 4 NEWS September 7, 2010 • Law timeS Small firm's art collection reflects founder's life and work BY MICHAEL McKIERNAN Law Times of Toronto, art didn't rank highly in the life of newly called lawyer E.M. (Yeti) Agnew. Th at would all change as she took her fi rst steps into practice. "I'd spent a year in Europe wandering around looking at art and architecture, and there was something that attracted me," Agnew says. Th en she began working with I Aaron Milrad, a lawyer with a keen interest in art and a bank of artist clients. Finally, while deal- ing with the estate of renowned abstract painter Jack Bush, she married an artist. More than three decades later, Agnew's Carlton Street offi ce in downtown Toronto bears testa- ment to the passion she has de- veloped for art over the years. Th e fi rst thing to greet visi- tors is a ceramic sculpture, "Frog n 1975, with a background in applied chemistry and a law degree from the University Advocate" by David Gilhooly. It depicts a frog in full barris- ter's dress holding its lapels as if bracing for an epic courtroom speech. Agnew, in fact, posed as the model for the sculpture. "Th ere are some lawyers who walk in and can't look at the piece," she says. "Th ey don't know what to do with it. And others have a re- ally good reaction and laugh. I like to Art Law and the think there's a little fun in the practice of law." Th e walls of the Victorian heritage building where Ag- new's practice, Yeti Law, oper- ates from are festooned with pieces that tell the story of her personal and professional life since those early days. An early Bush piece shares space with one by her husband. His work, "Yeti's Blues," weaves the blue pages from the Court of Appeal decisions in Agnew's old Toronto lawyer E.M. (Yeti) Agnew at her office with "Frog Advocate." Agnew posed as the model for the sculpture. Ontario Reports publications into a textured lattice design. A Tom Wesselmann print takes a prime spot in Agnew's personal offi ce. She picked it up after helping the American pop artist's lawyer with a problem in Canada. Wesselmann was so impressed with Agnew's eff orts that he sent her the print by mail to express his appreciation. One artist who features heav- ily is Toronto's Paul Fournier. As Agnew lived above his Queen Street West studio during her ear- ly years in practice, the personal connection is evident with sev- eral of his pieces adorning the walls around the offi ce. Despite the overlap between the personal and professional links to her collection, Agnew draws one clear line in the sand. "I don't trade art for legal services because then you might have to tell someone that you don't care for their art," she says. "Some art- ists are very good; they're just not your personal choice, and I don't want to off end anybody." Instead, she buys new pieces when she feels like it. Unlike some larger fi rms, she has no theme or mandate to consider. "It's a per- sonal collection, not a corporate collection," she says. "It's when you fall in love. You have no con- trol over that." Most of the works on display have at one time graced the walls of Agnew's home, where she has an even more extensive collec- tion. "I'm lucky I don't have to humour anyone," she says. But she will accommodate re- quests from staff who have strong feelings about particular works. Receptionist Genessa Radke, for example, sought out several favourites during a redecoration shortly after she joined the fi rm in February. One of them, by Noel Harding for a series on a Europe- an transit system, shows a mime artist lying horizontally in front of a subway car while a woman stares out the window. "I love this one," says Radke. really nice working in a "It's place where there's an apprecia- tion for art." For her part, Agnew says she was happy to return the Harding piece to a prominent position af- ter putting it away for a period of time. "Th e person who worked here before Genessa couldn't stand it," she says. "I've had that piece for probably close to 20 years and I still see new things, things that I hadn't noticed before." In fact, Agnew redoes her col- lection regularly to keep it fresh and continually reassess her rela- tionship with each piece. "If you change the art, you change the offi ce," she says. "It's really cheap redecorating because you can change the environment com- pletely by changing the artwork." Downstairs in the board- ONLY WESTLAW® CANADA OFFERS A TRUE QUANTUM SERVICE Estimate the value of your claim in minutes with Westlaw® Canada Litigator Quantum service. Results include award amounts ranked from highest to lowest so you can immediately estimate the value of your claim. You won't have to read a mountain of digests to fi nd the answers. Get Better Results Faster with Westlaw® Canada Call 1-866-609-5811 or visit www.westlawcanada.com room, two paintings propped up against the wall failed to make the grade this time. "When the art isn't feeding me anymore, that's usually when it's time to move on," Agnew says. She notes her favourite works are those for which the artist has been particularly creative or bro- ken with conventional thinking to help the audience change its way of thinking, an approach she attempts to bring to her own law practice. "Th e cutting edge of art is always about breaking the rules," she says. "As a lawyer, you look for creative ways to break the rules. You're looking for ways to bend the rules a little bit to get the best solution for your client." LT Th is is the fi fth instalment in the Law Times summer series looking at law fi rms' art collections. Untitled-1 1 www.lawtimesnews.com 9/1/10 10:41:51 AM Photo: Michael McKiernan

• Cover
• Art Reflecting Life
• Stingy Remedies
• Focus On Class Actions