Canadian Fine Art Auction

November 24, 2014

LOT 61

Lot 61

RITA LETENDRE, R.C.A.

RITA LETENDRE, R.C.A.
Lot 61 Details
RITA LETENDRE, R.C.A.

L’INNOMABLE

oil on canvas
signed and indistinctly dated ‘62 (?)
24 ins x 30 ins; 61 cms x 76.2 cms

Estimate $22,000-$28,000

Realised: $44,250
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Additional Images
RITA LETENDRE, R.C.A.
  • RITA LETENDRE, R.C.A.
Provenance:

Ladies Committee, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Exhibition and Sale
Private Collection, Toronto

Literature:

Anne-Marie Ninacs “The Teaching of Life” in Rita Letendre: Aux couleurs du jour, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Québec, 2004, page 134.

Note:

In 1962, Rita Letendre made her first trip to Europe – spending periods in Italy, Paris and Israel until the autumn of the following year. During this time, she experienced a period of intense creativity and a radical advancement in her style. Employing thick masses of paint in limited palettes, Letendre began to provoke the viewer: stirring within them a quiet fervour, an emotional skirmish. In describing canvases created on this sojourn, Anne-Marie Ninacs states that, “thick black masses (are) brought to life by the spatula – engag(ing) in a struggle with the colour-light that attempts to surge out from it, a struggle one surmises will not soon be over. The main weapon in this duel, if that is what it is, is surely the painting knife, which Letendre uses to make the thick layers of coloured paint interpenetrate in a ‘high-risk’ work method that enables her to keep all the energy of spontaneity in the finished work.” L’Innomable, The Unnamable, splits scarlet space with black, white and green, titled by the artist despite its resistance to be named.

CONDITION DETAILS

For condition information please contact the specialist.

LOT 61
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About Condition Ratings

  • 5 Stars: Excellent - No discernable damage, flaws or imperfections
  • 4 Stars: Very Good - Minor flaws or imperfections visible only under close inspection using specialised instruments or black light
  • 3 Stars: Good - Minor flaws visible upon inspection under standard lighting
  • 2 Stars: Fair - Exhibits flaws or damage that may draw the eye under standard lighting
  • 1 Star: Poor - Flaws or damage immediately apparent under standard lighting (examples: missing components, rips, broken glass, damaged surfaces, etc.)

Note: Condition ratings and condition details are the subjective opinions of our specialists and should be used as a guide only. Waddington’s uses due care when preparing condition details, however, our staff are not professional restorers or conservators. Condition details and reports are not warranties and each lot is sold “as is” in accordance with the buyer’s terms and conditions of sale. In all cases the prospective purchaser is responsible for inspecting the property themselves prior to placing a bid.