Norval Morrisseau, “Young Shaman With Powers”

Well known to both scholars and collectors of Norval Morrisseau, Young Shaman With Powers was chosen for the cover of Maclean’s magazine in 1979, representing the Woodlands movement and the revolutionary vision of Norval Morrisseau.[1]

An artist at the height of his talents in 1978, Morrisseau had only just completed his iconic six-panel polyptych Man Changing into Thunderbird the previous year. He went on to tackle two ambitious and monumental depictions of shamans in 1978, Shaman with Healing Powers, and the larger Young Shaman With Powers, which depicts a shaman accompanied by the artist’s namesake Thunderbird.[2] Both works were characterized by their exceptional compositional strength and use of luminous colour. The imagery in the painting was explained by Morrisseau’s dealer Jack Pollock:

The young Shaman embraces the Thunderbird, holding the sacred pouch which contains the herbs and other ceremonial artifacts required for the performance of his initiation rites.[2]

Young Shaman With Powers was sold by Pollock Gallery in 1978 or early 1979 at a cost of thirty-five thousand dollars, a staggering sum at a time when Morrisseau would often gift works, or trade them in exchange for materials of sometimes nominal value.[3]

The painting was subsequently published in Lister Sinclair and Jack Pollock’s seminal 1979 monograph, The Art of Norval Morrisseau. Acquired by collector Louis Charles prior to the publication, the work has since been sold on to one further collection, where it has remained until the present offering.

Waddington’s is pleased to present three of Norval Morrisseau’s unique visions of shamans in this auction, each investigating a facet of a subject to which Morrisseau returned to throughout his career.

[1] Christopher Hume, “The New Age of Indian Art,” Maclean’s, 22 January 1979, 21-28.
[2] Lister Sinclair and Jack Pollock, The Art of Norval Morrisseau (Toronto: Methuen Publications, 1979), 147.
[3] The author’s personal correspondence with the family of Jack Pollock, Toronto, ON. 2022.

About the auction:

Anchored by Norval Morrisseau’s monumental 1978 canvas, Young Shaman with Powers, our Major Spring Auction of First Nations Art also includes important works by artists Dempsey Bob, Beau Dick, Alex Janvier, Daphne Odjig, Allen Sapp, Robert Charles Davidson, Norman Tait, David Boxley, Klatle-Bhi, Terry Starr, Allan Weir, and others.

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Please contact us for more information.

Bidding is available May 14 – May 28, 2026.

On view at our Toronto gallery:

 Wednesday, May 20 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
 Thursday, May 21 from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm
 Friday, May 22 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
 Saturday, May 23 from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
 Sunday, May 24 from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
 Monday, May 25 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
 Tuesday, May 26 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
 Wednesday, May 27 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Or by appointment.