4th Mar, 2023 9:30 GMT/BST
Modern & Contemporary Art
115
Paul-Émile Borduas (1905-1960) Canadian
"Danse Irrégulière"
Signed and dated (19)54, watercolour, 27cm by 35cm
Provenance: Dominion Gallery, Montreal
Bonhams and Langlois, St Helier, Jersey, 29 November 2000, lot 1118
Literature: Borduas Online Catalogue Raisonné, no. 2005-0166
Paul-Émile Borduas was one of the most important figures in modern Canadian art. A leader of the group known as the Automatists, he developed a spontaneous style of non-figurative painting. A technique first used by Surrealist painters and poets to express the unconscious in art.
Borduas spent the first period of his career working primarily as a church decorator and teacher in Montreal. In 1948 he published the "Refus Global", an influential manifesto calling for freedom of expression. His views on Catholicism and nationalism caused uproar in the media which lead to his dismissal from his teaching post at the École du Meuble.
In 1953, Borduas moved to New York which greatly influenced his artistic development. It was here he viewed works by the New York school of Abstract Expressionists, including Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline and Mark Rothko. Borduas began exclusively using a palette knife to paint and became preoccupied with light and space. In 1955, he moved to Paris, where he achieved some measure of international recognition. He continued to paint, write and travel, despite failing health. His name lends itself to the Prix Paul- Émile Borduas awarded each year to a distinguished Quebec visual artist.
Sold for £10,000
Estimated at £6,000 - £8,000
Glazed.
On a creamy coloured paper. Some light surface dirt and debris. Slight time staining/ oxidisation to the paper, especially to the outer edges where it is darker and more pronounced. Slight cockling to the paper. Good colour depth. (see additional images)
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Auction: Modern & Contemporary Art, 4th Mar, 2023
Two drawings by the masterful L.S. Lowry are on offer in our Spring Modern & Contemporary Art Sale, "The Stepped Street" and "The Sea", which span Lowry's artistic career and represent to of his overriding interests: the streets of Greater Manchester and the Sea. Also on offer is a fine work by Australian artist Arthur Boyd, a good selection of Northern Art by the likes of Braaq, Arthur Delaney and Stuart Walton, Canadian Art, sculpture by Sally Arnup, Lorenzo Quinn and David Wynn, and a good offering of prints by L.S. Lowry, Henry Moore, Edward Bawden, Bob Dylan and Billy Connolly.
Viewing
Thursday 2 March 10am-4pm, Friday 3 March 10am-5pm and morning of sale from 8am
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