Norval Morrisseau Masterpiece @ McMaster University's Museum of Art in Hamilton, ON

Kevin Hearn Vs. Joseph B. McLeod and Maslak McLeod Gallery Inc.
/Court File No. CV-12-455650/

"SPIRIT ENERGY OF MOTHER EARTH HAS NOT BEEN PROVED TO BE A FORGED OR FAKE MORRISEAU. FROM THE LAW'S POINT OF VIEW, IT IS THEREFORE A REAL NORVAL MORRISSEAU PAINTING."-

~ Justice Edward M. Morgan, May 24, 2018

"The Family," 6x10 ft, acrylic on canvas, © 1979 Norval Morrisseau

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A work by the ‘Picasso of the North’ graces a McMaster hallway


© The Hamilton Spectator, Apr 27, 2017 by Graham Rockingham


Norval Morrisseau's The Family, was recently donated to the McMaster Museum of Art. - McMaster University.

A major work by one of Canada's most important artists is now hanging outside McMaster University's aboriginal studies department.

The colourful 10-by-six-foot painting by Norval Morrisseau is called "The Family" and was recently donated to the McMaster Museum of Art from the personal collection of Jerry and Carol McElroy of Toronto.

Morrisseau, who died in 2007 at the age of 76, was often referred to by admirers as the "Picasso of the North" and founded the Woodlands School of Canadian art, which provided inspiration for three generations of indigenous artists.

A self-taught artist, Morrisseau was born on the Sand Point Ojibway reserve in northern Ontario and was discovered in 1962 by Toronto gallery owner Jack Pollock and his popularity rose through the '60s, '70s and '80s. He was presented with the Order of Canada in 1978.

"The Family," believed to have been painted in 1979, depicts a group of 10 figures with a patriarchal figure at the centre, flanked by family members and wildlife.

"It's an early work, but it has a provenance that traces back to the Pollock Gallery which is pretty exciting in the Morrisseau world," said McMaster Museum of Art director and curator Carol Podedworny. "It's a pretty pivotal and important period for him. By 1979, he was strong and confident in his work."

The McElroy family was directed to McMaster, Podedworny said, through Janet McNaught of the Arctic Experience McNaught Galleries on James Street South, which has a substantial collection of First Nations and Inuit art.

The decision to hang it on the wall of the indigenous studies department was made largely because the museum lacks enough wall space to install a painting the size of "The Family," Podedworny said.
Fortunately the indigenous studies program was in the process of moving to a larger location on the first floor of the newly completed L.R. Wilson Hall Liberal Arts Building.

The public is welcome to view the painting in the lobby of the indigenous studies program during normal business hours.

Podedworny said the acquisition of the Morrisseau work fits in with the "What we're most known for nationally and internationally is our German expressionist collection and our modern impressionist collection," Podedworny said. "But over the past couple of years we've been pretty active in collecting indigenous work, First Nations work in particular,"

Podedworny said "The Family" has a significant cultural value, but refused to put a price on it.

"I don't think our insurance agency would want us to give out that kind of information," she said.

grockingham@thespec.com 905-526-3331

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BLOG MASTER'S COMMENT:

Curatorial and Appraisal Work for 

McMaster University Museum, Hamilton, Ontario

> An art expert with a comprehensive knowledge of an artist's work who generated adequate consensus within the art community to establish the authenticity of Norval Morrisseau's works of art.

Mr. Joseph McLeod (1928-2017) is widely regarded as one of the foremost experts in Canadian 'Woodland Art' and his Maslak McLeod Gallery had built an impressive reputation in the art world for more than 40 years.

He had been a qualified expert witness for the Crown in Federal Court with respect to Norval Morrisseau's art in a pivotal Tax Court of Canada case relevant to cultural property donation program [see Zelinski, Whent, Pustina v. The Queen, (No. 92-424)].

Recently, Mr. Joseph McLeod testified in a pivotal court case relevant to authenticity of Norval Morrisseau artworks [see Hatfield, Margaret Lorraine vs. Child, Donna and Artworld of Sherway].

Mr. McLeod had also been called upon by numerous auction houses such as Sotheby's to help authenticate Norval Morrisseau artworks with his professional expertise.

Mr. McLeod was a member of Art Dealers Association of Canada (ADAC) and had a membership with The Canadian Association of Personal Property Appraisers (CPPA).

>> Mr. Joseph McLeod was instrumental in bringing Canadian Native Art to Germany, Italy, Brazil, Japan, China, France and Puerto Rico.

>>> Affiliations Curatorial and Appraisal Work of Joseph McLeod:

Art Dealers Association of Canada;
Canada Council for Aboriginal Buisness;
The Government of Canada;
Museum of Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay, Ontario CANADA;
Smithsonian National Museum of American Art, U.S.A.;
The Paul R. Macpherson Woodland Collection of Art,
McMaster University Museum, Hamilton, Ontario; 
Sotheby's.com - Master Dealer;
Institute of American Indian Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A.;
The Pequot Museum, Conneticut, U.S.A.;
The Heard Museum, Pheonix, Arizona, U.S.A.;
Govenor's Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A.;
Volkunder Museum, Munich, GERMANY &
Exposicao de Arte Indigena, Belo Horizonte, BRAZIL.




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Kenojuak Ashevak's Stonecut Print Breaks Record Paid for Print by a Canadian Artist at Auction



The Enchanted Owl, 55.8 x 65.7 cm, © Kenojuak Ashevak
/Click HERE to Enlarge/




























Kenojuak Ashevak Breaks Records at Auction

By IAQ November 20, 2018 News

Following a riveting round of bidding at Waddington’s in Toronto, ON on November 20th, a copy of the 1960 print The Enchanted Owl by celebrated artist Kenojuak Ashevak, CC, ON, RCA (1927-2013) sold for $216,000 the highest amount paid for print by a Canadian artist at auction. The previous record was held by Sybil Andrews, whose Speedway sold for $129,000 in 2015. The previous records for Inuit prints at auction were held by Ashevak’s Rabbit Eating Seaweed (1960) and another copy of The Enchanted Owl when they sold for $59,000 in 2015 and $58,650 in 2001 respectively. When released in 1960, Ashevak’s The Enchanted Owl retailed for $75.00 Canadian dollars. But, in the nearly six decades since its release, the prices paid for the print have risen astronomically.

Based on a pencil drawing now in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada, an edition of 50 stonecut prints of the The Enchanted Owl were created for the second Kinngait (Cape Dorset) print release in 1960. The print, cut by Eegyvudluk Pootoogook (1931-2000) and printed by Iyola Kingwatsiak (1933-2000) was released in two versions: 25 red and black and 25 green and black. The “red-tail” version is the most coveted among collectors, consistently commanding higher prices than the “green-tail” version. Due to the fugitive nature of red pigment, a handful of the twenty-five prints have faded to orange, so to find a bright red copy like the one sold at Waddington is exceptionally rare.

The image of the lone owl—facing forward with plumes radiating outwards—has come to be the most recognizable work of Inuit art. It has appeared on the cover of books, a 1970 stamp celebrating the centennial of the Northwest Territories, calendars, scarves and most recently a large-scale mural at the Iqaluit Airport. The Enchanted Owl was also a personal favourite of the artist, who was once quoted as saying, “I am an owl, and I am a happy owl. I like to make people happy and everything happy. I am the light of happiness and I am a dancing owl.”

Only 50 editioned prints and a handful of proofs were created and in the years since its release. Further, copies of The Enchanted Owl have been lost, damaged and collected by museums and galleries, limiting the number available on the open market.

Copies of the print are also in the collections of the Government of Nunavut, West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative, Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Art Gallery of Ontario, Art Gallery of Windsor, Brooklyn Museum, Dennos Museum, La Guilde, Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, Museum of History, Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, National Gallery of Canada, University of Michigan Museum of Art and Winnipeg Art Gallery.

Source: Inuit Art FOUNDATION / Inuit Art Quarterly /

Fifth Anniversary of Joseph Boyden's conversation with Peter Mansbridge @ Maslak McLeod Gallery, 2013

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Kevin Hearn Vs. Joseph B. McLeod and Maslak McLeod Gallery Inc.
/Court File No. CV-12-455650/

"SPIRIT ENERGY OF MOTHER EARTH HAS NOT BEEN PROVED TO BE A FORGED OR FAKE MORRISEAU. FROM THE LAW'S POINT OF VIEW, IT IS THEREFORE A REAL NORVAL MORRISSEAU PAINTING."-

~ Justice Edward M. Morgan, May 24, 2018



Copyright © CBC 2013

~ To view authentic Norval Morrisseau acrylic on canvas "Unity of Inorganics, 1970s"; 60" x 109" shown behind Mr. Boyden, click HERE; It was shown on Page 50 & 51 of Maslak McLeod Gallery's Catalogue (This Catalogue was endorsed by James K. Bartleman*, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario).

* - A member of the Chippewas of Mnjikaning First Nation

 ~ To view the full interview (HD) between Joseph Boyden [1] and Peter Mansbridge @ Maslak McLeod Gallery, originally aired on December 7th, 2013 click HERE.

Joseph Boyden in front of genuine
Norval Morrisseau's painting at
Maslak Mcleod Gallery, 2013
(© Leslie Stojsic/CBC)

"And so for this Mansbridge One on One interview with Joseph Boyden, we wanted a setting that would be different than our regular location. The folks at the Maslak McLeod Gallery [2] (which specializes in Woodland, Inuit, Plains and Maritime aboriginal art) opened their Toronto space to us. They were at the tail end of an exhibit of one of Canada’s most important artists, Ojibwe painter Norval Morrisseau. Short of being on Georgian Bay itself, it was the perfect setting for a conversation with Boyden."



Source: CBC News Aboriginal

[1] - Joseph Boyden, Author "The Orenda"; a Canadian novelist and short story writer. His first novel, Three Day Road won the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. His second novel, Through Black Spruce, won the 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize, and his third book, The Orenda was named the winner of the 2014 edition of Canada Reads.

What don't Canadians know about our own pre-confederation history? How has that framed aboriginal and non-aboriginal relations today, up to and including Idle No More? Peter talks with the author about that and how those themes play out in his historical novel "The Orenda".

[2] - Joseph McLeod (1928-2017), a Maslak McLeod Gallery's owner who is widely regarded as one of the foremost experts in Canadian 'Woodland Art' and who has built an impressive reputation in the art world for more than 40 years.

Recently, Mr. Joseph McLeod testified in a pivotal court case relevant to authenticity of Norval Morrisseau artworks [see Hatfield, Margaret Lorraine vs. Child, Donna and Artworld of Sherway].


ADDENDUM:

"Unity of Inorganics," 60" x 109", © 1970s Norval Morrisseau
~ Click on image to Enlarge ~ 

~ This painting shown in the above video behind Mr. Joseph Boyden.

"Spirit Energy of Mother Earth", © 1974 Norval Morrisseau
~ Click on image to Enlarge ~

~ This painting is part of the Kevin Hearn Vs. Joseph B. McLeod and Maslak McLeod Gallery Inc. /Court File No. CV-12-455650/

"Spirits,"* 36" x 35", © 1976 Norval Morrisseau
~ Click on image to Enlarge ~ 

Page 29 of the "Norval Morrisseau: The Development of the Woodland School of Art" © Maslak McLeod Gallery, Toronto, Ontario/

* AUTHENTIC NORVAL MORRISSEAU PAINTING
  /Excluded from the "FAKE AND IMITATION" list... click HERE [1] & HERE/

[1] - Maslak McLeod Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
      /Signed Affidavit by Norval Morrisseau on April 24th, 2003/


>>> REFERENCE POST:
- "Norval Morrisseau: The Development of the Woodland School of Art", 2002.