2019 December | Hodgins Art Auctions

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signed lower centre; signed, titled & dated verso

Provenance: Former collection of Donald W. Buchanan [1908-1966], author of “The Growth of Canadian Painting”, first editor of “Canadian Art Magazine”, and Associate Director of the National Gallery of Canada from 1956-60, and later member of the Board of Trustees; Masters Gallery, Calgary AB

As early as 1914, A.Y. Jackson began a series of trips to Alberta to visit his elder brother Ernest, then a judge living in Lethbridge. In the fall of 1937, Jackson embarked on his first major trip to the area, to concentrate on painting southwestern Alberta.

In “A Painter’s Country, The Autobiography of A. Y. Jackson” (Clarke, Irwin & Co. Ltd.; 1958), Jackson writes: “In recent years the cowboy has almost disappeared, and the West has become completely mechanized. However, the foothills of Alberta, with the mountains as a background, afford the artist endless material” (page 146). Jackson stayed in the Pincher Creek area several times, often hosted by the Harland family:

“I have visited Pincher many times and also the Harland ranch farther south. Here, a range of mountains rises right out of the foothills which form a wonderful grazing land for cattle.” Jackson was impressed by the visual wealth that had emerged from the drought-ravaged land he had known in the thirties: “Hills rose from the prairies, range after range of them, and then the mountains rose abruptly from the hills. Valleys and shallow streams at the bottom cut through the hills. (pages 148-149)

In 1943 A.Y. Jackson accepted a summer teaching post at the Banff School of Fine Arts, a position he would hold until 1949. This afforded him a regular opportunity to paint the Alberta landscape, and his work from this period includes depictions of foothills, ranchlands, mountains and small towns.

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signed lower right; titled on the artist’s label verso

Provenance: Mayberry Fine Art, Winnipeg MB

Exhibited: “Road Trip: Across Canada with Alan C. Collier”, Agnes Etherington Art Gallery, Queen’s University, Kingston ON, April 29-August 6, 2017.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Alan Collier began his formal studies at the Ontario College of Art (1929-33), where his instructors included J.E.H. MacDonald and Franklin Carmichael. The following year, at the peak of the Great Depression, Collier travelled across Canada by train, and like many young men of the time, worked on relief gangs (for little more than bed, board and twenty cents a day). During 1936 and 1937, Collier worked as a miner in order to save enough money to continue his studies, which he did at the Art Students League of New York (1937). He stayed in New York for a time, working as an advertising artist.

Following his return to Toronto in 1941 to marry, Collier worked as an aircraft mechanic, then spent 3 years overseas with the Canadian Army. After the war, he resumed his work in advertising art and continued painting. In 1952, he was juried into the Ontario Society of Artists, then in 1954, he was elected associate of the Royal Canadian Academy of Art (achieving full membership in 1961). In 1955, Collier joined the staff of the Ontario College of Art.

Alan Collier held his first one-man show at Roberts Gallery (Toronto) in 1956. That same year, he took a three-month sketching trip to western Canada, travelling by car and travel trailer with his wife and young son. The Colliers continued this practice every summer, visiting most parts of Canada. Later, Collier would continue his sketching trips, travelling by ship, train and helicopter to every region of Canada, even making several trips to the High Arctic. In 1963, Collier was awarded a commission by Standard Oil (New Jersey) to produce 8 paintings depicting the landscapes along the Trans-Canada Highway. In 1967, the same year he was awarded the Centennial Medal, Collier left his teaching position at the OCA in order to devote himself full-time to painting. Collier exhibited broadly during his career. In Calgary, Collier held his first solo exhibition at the Kensington Gallery in 1968, with regular bi-annual exhibitions following. In 1971, the Robert McLaughlin Gallery organized a retrospective exhibition of Collier’s paintings and drawings from 1935 to 1970 – the show was extended to several Ontario galleries.

There are few artists who have travelled and depicted the Canadian landscape as broadly as Alan Collier. Characterized by clean lines and bold use of colour, his paintings are commanding in their simplicity. Curator of Historical Art, Alicia Boutilier, writes for “Road Trip: Across Canada with Alan C. Collier”, in which this piece was described as the “stunning focal point for Collier’s central Canadian landscapes”: “‘Simple’ is a word that Collier often used to describe his work: ‘I like simple forms, simple land forms’. In his paintings, geography is distilled into abstract shape and pattern, but never becomes fully abstract.”

Alan Collier’s work can be found in numerous public collections, including: National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa); Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto); Robert McLaughlin Gallery (Oshawa); Hamilton Art Gallery; Agnes Etherington Art Centre (Queens-Kingston); Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (Halifax); The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery (St. John’s); and Frye Museum (Seattle).

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monogrammed lower right; signed & titled verso

Illingworth Kerr was born and raised in Lumsden, Saskatchewan. He began to draw and paint at a young age, under the tutelage of his mother, a watercolour artist. His work showed great promise and, at just shy of his fourteenth birthday, he earned 13 gold medals at the Regina Exhibition of 1919. A few years later, between 1923 and 1927, Kerr undertook formal training at the Ontario College of Art, and through association, was exposed to the artistic ideals of the Group of Seven. Kerr hoped to return home and apply a new approach to the unique Prairie landscape, its representation challenged by open spaces and wide horizons. Kerr was unable to find success during the Depression, so left for England.

Kerr spent 10 years away from Canada, returning in 1946 after accepting a teaching position at the Vancouver School of Art. The following year, he moved to Calgary to head the Art Department at the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art. Under his 20-year tenure, Kerr lay the foundation for the Alberta College of Art (now the fully accredited Alberta University of the Arts) and had far-reaching influence as an instructor and mentor.

Kerr was only able to paint full-time after his retirement in 1967, and these were productive years. In 1973, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Calgary. In 1975, a retrospective of his work was presented at the gallery of the Alberta College of Art (later renamed the Illingworth Kerr Gallery). This exhibition subsequently toured to Regina and Saskatoon. In 1983, he was named to the Order of Canada. In 1985, a major retrospective of Kerr’s work “Harvest of the Spirit” debuted at the Edmonton Art Gallery before continuing on to nine Canadian cities. Kerr was an influential artist and instructor and dedicated his career to bringing a contemporary artistic interpretation to the Prairies.

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signed lower left; signed & titled verso

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signed lower right

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signed & dated lower right; titled verso
Provenance: Houston North Gallery, Lunenburg NS
Note: This work is presented in the artist’s original hand-made frame, and measures 18.5 x 22.5 inches overall.

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signed lower right; signed & titled verso

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signed lower right; signed, titled & dated verso
Provenance: Galerie Maison d’Art St-Laurent, St-Laurent QC

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signed lower right; signed, titled & dated on the artist’s certificate verso
Provenance: Masters Gallery, Calgary AB

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signed & dated lower right

Jean Lefebure (born Lefebvre) was a Montreal-born, post-war contemporary painter and sculptor who was greatly influenced by the Automatistes. Between 1949 and 1952, Lefebure studied at the Ecole des Beaux-arts, under Paul-Emile Borduas, and at the School of Architecture at the University of Montreal. During this time, he exhibited on numerous occasions with the Automatistes. Between 1952 and 1965, Lefebure lived in Europe, travelling and exhibiting his work in France, Spain, Italy and Switzerland. He settled in Paris for a number of years before returning to Quebec, where he embarked on what would become a long and respected teaching career – at the School of Architecture at Laval University (Quebec City), and then at CEGEP St-Laurent (Montreal).

Jean Lefebure’s work is in a number of notable public collections, including the Musee d’Art Contemporain (Montreal), the Musee national des beaux-arts du Quebec (Montreal), and the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa).