Lot 92
ALEX JANVIER (1935-)

Lot 92 Details
ALEX JANVIER (1935-)
TINY HOLDER (FROM LIFE’S SCRABBLE SERIES)
watercolour
signed, dated 1994, titled, and further inscribed “Life’s Scrabble Series / 12’ [sic] circle watercolor/rag paper” in pencil on the reverse
diameter 13" — 33 cm.
Estimate $1,500-$2,500
Additional Images

Literature:
Alex Janvier, Alex Janvier, Greg A. Hill, National Art Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 2016, pages 7-9
Murray Whyte, Toronto Star, Alex Janvier comes full circle with National Gallery retrospective, November 27, 2016, thestar.com
Sandra Abma, CBC, “This is Really A Story of Canada”, November 25, 2016, CBC.ca/News
Note:
The subject of a major retrospective at the National Art Gallery of Canada which ran from November 2016-2017. The exhibition included over 150 works from his 65 year career. The son of the last Chief of Cold Lake First Nations and a residential school survivor, Janvier was an astute observer from a young age. He feels that “Art truly is a universal language that can communicate any idea, any feeling, of anyone, regardless of their social standing, their religious beliefs or the language they speak.” Alex Janvier is regarded as one of the most important contemporary Indigenous artists in Canada.
For similar works see, Janvier in the Round, pages 57 - 64 of Alex Janvier, the National Art Gallery of Canada’s exhibition publication, 2016.