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Norval Morrisseau
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Norval Morrisseau 2010 Retrospective
On view beginning Sept 25, 2010 |
"Morrisseau is the granddaddy of Canadian Aborginal art, another artist with icon status." - Curator William Huffman, G8/G20 Summits
Kinsman Robinson Galleries enjoyed a long, close association with Norval Morrisseau. We acted as principal dealers for Norval Morrisseau from 1989 until his death in 2007 (effectively succeeding Jack Pollock's sixteen-year art dealership.) Over the longest-running representation agreement during his artistic career, Norval Morrisseau never lost trust in Don Robinson and KRG. At the risk of becoming strictly known as the Norval Morrisseau gallery, KRG mounted sell-out exhibition after sell-out exhibition over the last two decades in order to sustain Norval's quality of life. Our unique history with Norval Morrisseau has led a few individuals to go so far as to assert a provenance attributed to KRG when, in fact, none existed. Paintings sold by Kinsman Robinson Galleries are guaranteed to be genuine works by the late Norval Morrisseau.
Norval Morrisseau was arguably the greatest Aboriginal artist ever to have lived. He was Grand Shaman, painter, carver, draughtsman, storyteller, teacher, father, grandfather and great-grandfather—dubbed 'Picasso of the North' by the French press. Having achieved world renown, most notably, Norval Morrisseau will be remembered for his instrumental role in the creation of North America’s most colorful style of art—one of the most recognizable styles among First Nations art forms—the Woodland Art movement or Woodland School (rivaled only by Haida imagery.) Norval Morrisseau’s subject matter addressed the protection of the environment long before global warming entered our mainstream consciousness. In "Nature Interdependence," Norval Morrisseau portrayed the universal theme that we are all one with the environment—a theme that Norval Morrisseau would revisit time and again over the course of his illustrious career. In the three paintings, "All Creatures," "Blue Loons" and "Great Lake Male Moose With Woodlands X-Ray Design," Norval Morrisseau joined his sacred animals by a single, continuous line reinforcing his lifelong themes of connection and interconnectedness. In "Eagle Fishing," Norval Morrisseau painted the birds directly atop the fish. The eagle overlaps the fish, giving the painting interconnectivity, linking the animals to one another in the perpetual struggle for life, the cycle of life and the food chain. Powerful demi-gods and mighty beings figured prominently in the artist’s murals. In two museum pieces, both intimate family portraits,"Norval, Gabe & Robyne: Apprenticeship With Thunderbird God" and "Artist Norval With Family Passing On Legends," Norval Morrisseau portrayed the age-old oral tradition of passing knowledge from one generation to the next. "Shaman Dreams of the Great Horned Medicine Snake" and "Onaman Legend," both ink drawings on birchbark, harken to the visual imagery found within ancient petroglyphs and Midewewin scrolls. Through painting, Norval Morrisseau gave new life to Anishinaabe myths and legends and he helped to instill pride in his people. Norval Morrisseau died in Toronto, on December 4th 2007, having lived to receive the highest accolades for lifetime achievement. He was a member of the Order of Canada, recipient of Doctor of Laws, recipient of Doctor of Letters, a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Art, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, recipient of the Lifetime Aboriginal Achievement Award, holder of the Eagle Feather (the highest honour awarded by the Assembly of First Nations) and Grand Shaman. Norval Morrisseau lived life on his own terms, exactly as he wanted. He once said that given the chance to do it all over again, he wouldn’t change a thing. At times, his controversial life didn’t conform to society’s rules. Yet, through all of its ups and downs, he managed to find inner peace. The National Gallery of Canada’s solo exhibition in 2006, Norval Morrisseau — Shaman Artist, reaffirmed Morrisseau as Canada’s modern-day master yet the artist’s real life would make Van Gogh sound like your average suburbanite. Norval Morrisseau’s paintings continue to challenge viewers to look beyond themselves and their immediate surroundings into the realm of spiritual or astral worlds. His colors dazzle the senses with their brilliant splendor and kaleidoscopic range. Morrisseau truly was Canada’s national treasure. Thank you, Norval Morrisseau, for enriching the world with your art. Your spirit shall shine brightly through your artistic legacy.
Kinsman Robinson Galleries are pleased to include The National Gallery of Canada and the Royal Ontario Museum among our distinguished clientele.
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
National Gallery of Canada; McMichael Canadian Art Collection; Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian; Detroit Institute of Arts; Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art; Tweed Museum of Art; Dennos Museum Center; Art Gallery of Ontario; Art Gallery of Mississauga; MacLaren Art Centre; Thunder Bay Art Gallery; Art Gallery of Algoma; Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre; Art Gallery of Windsor; Government of Ontario Art Collection; Indian & Northern Affairs Canada; Canada Council Art Bank; Royal Ontario Museum; Canadian Museum of Civilization; Trent University; Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; McCord Museum of Canadian History; Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec; Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery; MacKenzie Art Gallery; Glenbow Museum; Winnipeg Art Gallery; City Hall Collection; Etobicoke Board of Education; Toronto Star Collection; Hart House Collection; Robertson Art Center; The Ondaatje Corporation; Guardian Capital Group Ltd.; Procter And Gamble Inc.; lmperial Oil of Canada; Northern Telecom; Weir & Foulds; Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt; Montreal Trust Collection; Canadian lmperial Bank of Commerce; Noranda Mining And Exploration Inc.
Art copyright © 2010 Norval Morrisseau Estate. Text copyright © 2010 Kinsman Robinson Galleries. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No component of this site, including images, text, video and computer code, may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means—electronic, graphic, digital or mechanical, including photocopying or information storage & retrieval systems—without the prior express written permission of Kinsman Robinson Galleries and/or the copyright holder.
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