Jean-Paul Armand Mousseau (1927-1991) - Sans titre

Sans titre

mixed media and collage on paper on canvas
212.7 cms x 72.7 cms (83.75 ins x 28.62 ins)
Signed and dated 1957
made in 1957
Lot offered for sale by Heffel, Vancouver at the auction event "May 2016 Online auction" held on Sat, May 28, 2016.
Lot 537
Estimate: CAD $7,000 - $9,000
Realised: CAD $7,080

Lot description - from the online catalogue*

Provenance:
Acquired directly from the Artist by Claude Vermette, Montreal

By descent to the present Private Collection, Montreal
Notes:
This remarkable painting by Jean-Paul Armand Mousseau is a preparatory study for a project realized in association with renowned Canadian ceramist Claude Vermette - a long time friend and collaborator of the artist. Mousseau and Vermette met in the 1940s at the College Notre-Dame de Montréal, where they attended the art classes of the influential Frère Jérôme Paradis. They became close to Paul-Émile Borduas and the members of the Automatist group, and Mousseau was a signatory of their 1948 vanguard manifesto Refus global. Vermette, only 16 at the time, entirely embraced the group's artistic ideal of emancipation, but was judged too young by Borduas to be a signatory. The association of these two like-minded creators was motivated by a shared commitment to transdisciplinarity and the common belief that art should be made accessible to all. One of their earliest projects, completed in 1958, was a ceramic mural commissioned by the College Notre-Dame de Montréal. The following year, an important exhibition of their works, entitled Opposition 1959, was held at Galerie Denyse Delrue in Montreal. Of all the duo's notable accomplishments, their most outstanding achievement is perhaps the 1966 Peel station project of the Montreal subway, which was originally comprised of 54 colourful ceramic circles integrated into the modernist architecture of the station.

A testimony to Mousseau's great talent, this vibrant work is exceptional in its size, composition and colour. It is an early and rare example of the fruitful collaboration between Mousseau and Vermette that lasted nearly 20 years.

This painting has been in the personal collection of Claude Vermette and Mariette Rousseau-Vermette since 1957 and is now offered at auction for the first time.

Please note: this work is comprised of seven sections, which have been assembled as intended by the artist and subsequently laid down on canvas.
Most realised prices include the Buyer's Premium of 18-25%, but not the HST/GST Tax.
(*) Text and/or Image might be subject matter of Copyright. Check with Heffel auction house for permission to use.
Sans titre by artist Jean-Paul Armand Mousseau