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Lot 13: ALEX JANVIER, POWER STRUGGLE, 1966, oil on canvas board, 24 ins x 30 ins; 61 cms x 76.2 cms

Est: $7,000 CAD - $9,000 CADSold:
Waddington'sToronto, ON, CASeptember 17, 2020

Item Overview

Description

ALEX JANVIER
POWER STRUGGLE, 1966

oil on canvas board
signed and inscribed "287"; also signed, titled, and dated "March 5/66" on the reverse
24 ins x 30 ins; 61 cms x 76.2 cms


Provenance:
Private Collection, Ottawa

At the age of eight, Alex Janvier was sent to Blue Quills Indian Residential School in St. Paul, Alberta. Members of its staff recognized his artistic potential and encouraged him to pursue formal art training at the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art in Calgary (now the Alberta College of Art and Design). He was one of the first artists of Indigenous ancestry from Canada to receive professional arts training. Following graduation, he also became one of the first to be hired for a faculty position in studio art.

Janvier’s early work was influenced by European Modernism; in particular, by Expressionist and Surrealist painters including Wassily Kandinsky, Joan Miró, and Paul Klee. He combined these influences with a deep affection for Dene quill and beadwork and would come to identify himself at this time as the “First Indian Modernist.”

Janvier’s work of this period is characterized by heavy use of line, muted colour palette, and fractured forms. Power Struggle is a tempest of movement and pigment where several figures and objects emerge from the canvas. This, coupled with its evocative title, may reference Canada’s treatment towards Indigenous peoples and Janvier’s own experiences living on-reserve and surviving Residential School. To this end, the painting is not only signed using his surname but also with “287,” the number associated with his band treaty. This signage represents Janvier’s commitment to resisting government interference to his identity and that of all Indigenous peoples in Canada. A year after the painting’s completion, Janvier helped organize the Indians of Canada Pavilion for Expo ’67 in Montreal. In time, the composition of his paintings would loosen considerably, growing intense with colour and ebbing linework. During the 1970s, he joined the Professional Native Indian Arts Inc. (PNIAI), an Indigenous artist collective that included members Norval Morrisseau, Daphne Odjig, Carl Ray, Joseph Sanchez, Eddy Cobiness, and Jackson Beardy. The collective attempted to break cultural and political stereotypes by demanding recognition as professional artists of Indigenous descent.

We thank Matthew Ryan Smith, Ph.D., Curator and Head of Collections at Glenhyrst Art Gallery in Brantford, Ontario, for contributing this essay.

Estimate: $7,000–9,000

Dimensions

24 ins x 30 ins; 61 cms x 76.2 cms

Artist or Maker

Medium

oil on canvas board

Provenance

Private Collection, Ottawa

Notes

At the age of eight, Alex Janvier was sent to Blue Quills Indian Residential School in St. Paul, Alberta. Members of its staff recognized his artistic potential and encouraged him to pursue formal art training at the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art in Calgary (now the Alberta College of Art and Design). He was one of the first artists of Indigenous ancestry from Canada to receive professional arts training. Following graduation, he also became one of the first to be hired for a faculty position in studio art. Janvier’s early work was influenced by European Modernism; in particular, by Expressionist and Surrealist painters including Wassily Kandinsky, Joan Miró, and Paul Klee. He combined these influences with a deep affection for Dene quill and beadwork and would come to identify himself at this time as the “First Indian Modernist.” Janvier’s work of this period is characterized by heavy use of line, muted colour palette, and fractured forms. Power Struggle is a tempest of movement and pigment where several figures and objects emerge from the canvas. This, coupled with its evocative title, may reference Canada’s treatment towards Indigenous peoples and Janvier’s own experiences living on-reserve and surviving Residential School. To this end, the painting is not only signed using his surname but also with “287,” the number associated with his band treaty. This signage represents Janvier’s commitment to resisting government interference to his identity and that of all Indigenous peoples in Canada. A year after the painting’s completion, Janvier helped organize the Indians of Canada Pavilion for Expo ’67 in Montreal. In time, the composition of his paintings would loosen considerably, growing intense with colour and ebbing linework. During the 1970s, he joined the Professional Native Indian Arts Inc. (PNIAI), an Indigenous artist collective that included members Norval Morrisseau, Daphne Odjig, Carl Ray, Joseph Sanchez, Eddy Cobiness, and Jackson Beardy. The collective attempted to break cultural and political stereotypes by demanding recognition as professional artists of Indigenous descent. We thank Matthew Ryan Smith, Ph.D., Curator and Head of Collections at Glenhyrst Art Gallery in Brantford, Ontario, for contributing this essay.

Payment & Shipping

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must designate and arrange for the services of an independent shipper
and be responsible for all shipping and insurance expenses. The
Auctioneers will, upon request, provide names of professional packers and
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for providing this information. Reliable pre-auction estimates of shipping
costs of lots offered in this sale may be obtained from:
PakShip
Attn: Taurus Chan
Tel: 905.470.6874; 416.293.8225
Fax: 905.470.6875
[email protected]

Safer Shipping
Attn: Perry Hehn
Tel: 416 299 3367
Fax: 416 299 9750
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Permits may be required for international shipments due to export restrictions on endangered species.

Auction Details

Canadian Fine Art

by
Waddington's
September 17, 2020, 07:00 PM EST

100 Broadview Avenue Suite 200, Toronto, ON, M4M 3H3, CA

Terms

Buyer's Premium

25.0%

Bidding Increments

From:To:Increment:
$0$499$20
$500$999$50
$1,000$1,999$100
$2,000$4,999$200
$5,000$9,999$500
$10,000$19,999$1,000
$20,000$49,999$2,000
$50,000$99,999$5,000
$100,000$199,999$10,000
$200,000$499,999$20,000
$500,000$999,999$25,000
$1,000,000+$50,000

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By bidding at auction, bidders are bound by those Conditions and Glossary, as amended by any oral announcement or posted notices, which together form the contract of sale between the successful bidder (buyer), Waddington's™, and the consignor (seller) of the lot. Descriptions or photographs of lots are not warranties and each lot
is sold "as is" in accordance with the Conditions of Sale.

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Shipping Information

The Auctioneers will not undertake packing or shipping. The purchaser
must designate and arrange for the services of an independent shipper
and be responsible for all shipping and insurance expenses. The
Auctioneers will, upon request, provide names of professional packers and
shippers but will not be held responsible for the service or have any liability
for providing this information. Reliable pre-auction estimates of shipping
costs of lots offered in this sale may be obtained from:
PakShip
Attn: Taurus Chan
Tel: 905.470.6874; 416.293.8225
Fax: 905.470.6875
[email protected]

Safer Shipping
Attn: Perry Hehn
Tel: 416 299 3367
Fax: 416 299 9750
[email protected]

Permits may be required for international shipments due to export restrictions on endangered species.

Buyers Premium

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