signed lower right; titled on a plaque and on the gallery label
Provenance: Former collection of Alex Fraser, Vancouver BC; Masters Gallery, Calgary AB
Literature: “James Henderson: Wicite Owapa Wicasa, The Man who Paints the Old Men” (Dan Ring, James Lanigan and Neal Mcleod; Mendel Art Gallery; 2010)
James Henderson is a pioneering figure in the history of art in Saskatchewan. He was one of the first professionally trained artists to settle in Saskatchewan, having been born in Glasgow, Scotland, and trained at the Glasgow School of Art. Henderson had been working as a commercial artist in London, and after first coming to Regina, he settled in Fort Qu’Appele. Henderson was fascinated by the landscape of the Qu’Appelle Valley and by the Indigenous peoples of the Canadian West.
In 1924, Henderson is known to have exhibited a portrait titled “Sioux Indian” at the British Empire Exhibition (Wembley, London), followed by “Weasel Calf, Blackfoot Chief” the next year. Also in 1925, Henderson exhibited three portraits (along with several landscapes) in the exhibition “Artists of Saskatchewan”, at the University of Toronto’s Hart House. Following this success, he was commissioned by the University of Saskatchewan to paint twelve portraits representing the tribes of Saskatchewan and Alberta. During the following years, Henderson’s portraits were exhibited broadly, including several times at the National Gallery of Canada. Henderson’s historically important portraits can be found in numerous public collections, including: Mendel Art Gallery (Saskatoon); McKenzie Art Gallery (Regina); Art Gallery of Alberta (Edmonton); Glenbow Museum (Calgary); Art Gallery of Greater Victoria; and National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa)
