signed and dated lower left; titled on the stretcher verso
Provenance: Robertson Galleries, Ottawa ON (remnant of gallery label verso)
Considered the “Grandmother of Canadian Indigenous art”, Daphne Odjig’s artistic accomplishments have left a lasting cultural legacy. As a young girl, art was encouraged and she was surrounded by artistic expression: her grandfather was a talented stone carver and painter; her Potawatomi father drew and her English mother had a talent for embroidery. As an adult, for many decades Odjig kept her Indigenous roots at a distance, likely impacted by what was an unwelcoming sociopolitical climate. Then, at age 45, she experienced a spiritual re-awakening after attending a powwow in her home community of Wikwemikong, and being presented a ceremonial dress. This experience profoundly affected her personal and artistic development, and images of her ancestry soon become an integral part of her work. While often associated with the Woodlands School, Odjig’s work defies classification and reflects the influence of European Modernism, the artist’s Anashinabe heritage, and themes of womanhood, family and community.
Daphne Odjig’s career spanned an incredible six decades. She received many awards and recognition during her life, with a selection of honours including: the creation of the four-panel mural “The Indian in Transition” (1978) for the Museum of Man in Ottawa (now Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau); Order of Canada (1986); elected member of the Royal Canadian Academy (1989); Governor General’s Award for Visual Arts (2007); seven honourary degrees and several documentaries. Additionally, Daphne Odjig was the first female First Nations artist to be featured in a solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada. Organized by the Art Gallery of Sudbury, “The Drawings and Paintings of Daphne Odjig: A Retrospective Exhibition” (October 2009 to January 2010).
Literature: “Odjig: The Art of Daphne Odjig” (Daphne Odjig, Bob Boyer & Carol Podedworny; Key Porter Books, Toronto; 2001); “The Drawings and Paintings of Daphne Odjig, A Retrospective Exhibition” (Robert Houle & Duke Redbird; National Gallery of Canada; 2007).
