Joyner’s Canadian Art Auction, 1st Session

May 27, 2008

LOT 69

Lot 69

JOHN MCEWEN

JOHN MCEWEN
Lot 69 Details
JOHN MCEWEN

FIVE HORSES

bronze
each height 16 ins; 40 cms

Estimate $5,000-$7,000

Realised: $14,950
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Note:

Executed in 1979.

Five Horses was a test model for the work One and One (1979), which consisted of 16 horses, and was included in the Inaugural Exhibition of the Toronto Sculpture Garden (September 11, 1981 – March 31, 1982) and is currently in the collection of the Southern Alberta Art Gallery. The profiles for One and One and Five Horses are based on a set of photographs by Edward James Muybridge, noted for his Horse In Motion photography, which originated when the photographer helped to settle a wager as to whether all four hooves of a horse were ever off the ground simultaneously during a gallop.

As the photographs of Muybridge and the works within One and One and Five Horses represent the single stride of a horse, McEwen has separated the stride into multiple sculptures. McEwen explains that ‘They are evidence of the same horse in the singularity of one stride. To separate that moment and to stand within [the sculptures] is to clearly understand that one can stand in the midst of life’.

John McEwen’s works have been installed at the University of Lethbridge’s Centre for the Arts, the TransCanada Pipleline Building in Calgary, the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, the National Aviation Museum in Ottawa, and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg. Internationally, the artist’s work has been exhibited in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan. His work is represented in public collections across Canada including the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Art Gallery of Winnipeg.

We offer our thanks to John McEwen and Olga Korper Gallery for information regarding this lot.

CONDITION DETAILS

For condition information please contact the specialist.

LOT 69
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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.