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Lot 62: OSCAR CAHÉN, OBJECT, oil on masonite, 36 ins x 24 ins; 91.4 cms x 61 cms

Est: $70,000 CAD - $90,000 CADSold:
Waddington'sToronto, ON, CAMay 26, 2014

Item Overview

Description

OSCAR CAHÉNOBJECToil on masonitesigned; dated 1953, 1954 and circa 1954 on three gallery labels on the reverse 36 ins x 24 ins; 91.4 cms x 61 cms Provenance:Estate of the artistMrs. Cahén-Egglefield (1984) The Drabinsky Gallery, Toronto Private Collection, TorontoExhibited:Canadian Group of Painters, 1954 Exhibition. Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota Florida, n.d. Oscar Cahén, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto December 16-February 12, 1984, other venues, cat. no. 16. Abstract(s) at Home, The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, Ontario September 21, 2007-September 21, 2008.Literature:David Burnett, Oscar Cahén, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 1983, page 32, reproduced. Iris Nowell, Painters Eleven: The Wild Ones of Canadian Art, Toronto, 2010, page 148, reproduced in colour.Note:Cahén was one of the principal innovators of Canadian abstraction in the 1950s; Object is one of his most accomplished and favoured works. Although the artist was prolific during this period of his life, he elected to choose to represent himself three times with this work at exhibitions in important venues. Following his untimely accidental death in 1956, this work was included in both retrospective exhibitions of his work and remained a staple at subsequent exhibitions.In the late 1940s the allover approach dominated progressive abstract painting. Personified by Pollock's drip paintings and in Canada by related works by Riopelle, Borduas and the Automatistes, advanced artists treated the entire surface of a painting in a unified, cohesive way, covering every surface with consistent, related impasto marks and painterly gestures, corner to corner. By the early 1950s this direction had run its course; art sought new solutions and options. Pollock returned to abstracted representation referencing Cubism and Surrealism. Cahén's training and proclivities had always headed him in the direction of narrative and figuration. As such, he never did become immersed in the allover textural treatment of the painting surface. His work of the late 1940s explored humanism through the stylistic mechanism of Expressionist tendencies. For many in this time period, including Cahén, artists yearned through their work to purge the anxieties and anguish suffered through World War II by creating dour, moody works of emotional intensity. Object turns the corner.In the work immediately prior, Cahén created a cast of stylized characters that played out a range of emotions. Object is ostensibly an abstract formal composition. Yet, upon examination it returns to more classical figure/ground construction. Is the central form simply a mass: an "object"? Or might it be an abstracted personage, with central torso and appendages within the spirit of surrealist Max Ernst? Object is cunningly crafted. It is built in two zones, a diagonal split contrasting areas of warm and cool colouration. Cahén orchestrates the transition such that the painting holds together as a unified whole, not a painting split in two parts. Object employs what will become key signature Cahén colour treatment: striking combinations of magenta, orange, red and pink in counterpoint with vibrant cyan blues and green. Object is a confident, joyous, vibrant picture that commences the march out of the doldrums of the hangover of war and depression and heralds the embrace, vibrancy and optimism of the new age.We thank Jeffrey Spalding for providing the essay for this lot.

Artist or Maker

Payment & Shipping

Payment

Accepted forms of payment: MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

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:
Pak Mail
Attn: Taurus Chan
4981 Hwy 7 East, Unit 12A, Markham, ON L3R 1N1
Tel: 905.470.6874; 416.293.8225
Fax: 905.470.6875
[email protected]
www.pakmailmarkham.ca

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

Auction Details

Canadian Art Auction

by
Waddington's
May 26, 2014, 07:00 PM EST

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

Terms

Live bidding may start higher or lower

Buyer's Premium

$0 - 49,999:21.0%
$50,000+:21.0%

Bidding Increments

From:To:Increment:
$0$199$10
$200$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

Terms & Conditions

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Descriptions or photographs of lots are not warranties and each lot is sold "as is" in accordance with the Conditions of Sale.

Frames on artwork are not included as part of purchase or condition.

Contract Information

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.

Payment Information

Payment for purchases must be by cash, INTERAC direct debit (Cdn clients in person only), certified cheque (U.S. & Overseas not applicable), travelers cheque, bank draft, electronic transfer (fee applies), and VISA, Mastercard (up to $25,000). As Waddington's requires written authorization for all credit card purchases, credit cards must be presented in person by the cardholder and therefore cannot be accepted over the telephone. However, fax authorization arrangements can be made.

The buyer shall pay for all lots within 48 hours from the date of the sale, after which a late charge of 2% per month on the total invoice may be incurred or the auctioneer, in his sole discretion, may cancel the sale. The buyer shall not become the owner of the lot until paid for in full. Items must be removed within 10 days from the date of sale , after which storage charges may be incurred.

Each lot purchased, unless the sale is cancelled as above, shall be held by the auctioneer at his premises or at a public warehouse at the sole risk of the buyer until fully paid for and taken away.

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:
Pak Mail
Attn: Taurus Chan
4981 Hwy 7 East, Unit 12A, Markham, ON L3R 1N1
Tel: 905.470.6874; 416.293.8225
Fax: 905.470.6875
[email protected]
www.pakmailmarkham.ca

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

Buyer's Premium

A buyer's premium of 18% of the successful bid price of each lot is paid by buyer as part of the total purchase price. Invaluable clients will be charged a buyer's premium of 21% of the successful bid price of each lot as part of the total purchase price.

Taxes on your purchase

A charge of 13% HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) is applicable on the hammer price and buyer's premium, except for purchases exported from Canada. In the case where purchases are shipped out of the province of Ontario, the HST or GST is charged based on the tax status of that province.

Condition Notice

All of the items are to be considered, unless otherwise noted in the
description, in good condition. The definition of "good" when used in
reference to condition, describes an object as having had no major damage
or repair but as with the nature of the material, may show minor surface
wear, discolouration etc., which indicates the acceptable wear that the piece
may acquire with age. If you are particular about minor flaws, you should
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