Canadian Fine Art

November 18, 2019

LOT 98

Lot 98

JEAN-PAUL MOUSSEAU

JEAN-PAUL MOUSSEAU
Lot 98 Details
JEAN-PAUL MOUSSEAU

QUART DE CERCLE, 1955

oil on canvas
signed and dated '55; also signed and dated '55 to the stretcher
40 ins x 30 ins; 101.6 cms x 76.2 cms

Estimate $25,000-$35,000

Realised: $24,000
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Additional Images
JEAN-PAUL MOUSSEAU
  • JEAN-PAUL MOUSSEAU
  • JEAN-PAUL MOUSSEAU
Provenance:

Galerie Denyse Delrue, Montreal
Royal Bank of Canada, Montreal
By descent to the present, Private Collection, Toronto

Literature:

Pierre Landry, Mousseau Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, 31 January 1997 - 27 April 1997, Éditions Meridien, illus. pg. 99.

Exhibited:

Exposistion Jean-Paul Mousseau, L'Actuelle: Galerie d'Art Non Figuratif, Montreal, 22 March - 12 April, 1956
Mousseau, Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, 31 January 1997 - 27 April 1997.

Note:

In 1955 Guido Molinari and journalist Fernande Saint-Martin opened L’Actuelle in Montreal, a gallery dedicated to non-figurative art and one of the first of its kind in Canada. The artist-run hot bed of culture featured exhibitions by Mousseau, Borduas, Barbeau, Leduc, Letendre, McEwen, Tousignant, and Molinari. Over its two-year operation, Mousseau exhibited there multiple times.

One of 16 Automatiste artists and intellectuals who signed the Refus Global, an anti-establishment and anti-religious manifesto written by Borduas, Mousseau was a multi-disciplinary artist interested in not just painting, but also architecture, design and costumes. The vibrant tonal palette of red in this painting speaks to his interest in light and colour. Following the completion of this painting, Mousseau went on to study colour theory and evolved his practice to include sculpture in coloured resin and fibreglass.

Revered art critic François-Marc Gagnon noted that the forms in Mousseau’s work have a tendency to be distributed randomly over the entire surface of the composition, as if the artist is consciously working to fill the entire plane. By choosing to only paint a “quatre de cercle”, Mousseau extends the eye outside of the boundaries of the work.

This important work was shown at L’Actuelle in a solo exhibition in 1956.

CONDITION DETAILS

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LOT 98
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  • 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.