Couchant corridor
71.09 cms x 91.4 cms (28 ins x 36 ins)
Signed and dated october 1946 and on verso titled and dated
made in 1946
Lot offered for sale by Heffel, Vancouver at the auction event "Spring 2015 Live auction" held on Wed, May 27, 2015.
Lot 030
Lot 030
Estimate: CAD $15,000 - $25,000
Realised: CAD $82,600
Realised: CAD $82,600
Lot description - from the online catalogue*
Provenance:
Acquired directly from Madeleine Arbour, a signatory of Refus global
Galerie Dresdnere, Toronto, 1985
Exhibitions:
Dominion Gallery, Montreal, Eighth Annual Exhibition of the Contemporary Arts Society, November 16 - 30, 1946
75 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Group Automatiste, February 15 - March 1, 1947
75 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Trente-trois tableaux de Pierre Gauvreau, November 15 - 30, 1947
Literature:
Sylvain Lecombre, "Vivre une peinture sans tradition," Paris-Paris: Création en France 1937-1957, Centre George Pompidou, 1981, pages 218 - 220
François-Marc Gagnon, Chronique du mouvement automatiste québécois, 1998, pages 282 and 284
Notes:
Couchant corridor was painted in 1946, the same year Pierre Gauvreau returned to Canada from England, and was subsequently included in three important early exhibitions - the Contemporary Arts Society annual exhibition in 1946, the second Automatist show in February 1947, and a solo show in November 1947. The exhibitions received considerable attention from the local press, and Couchant corridor was favourably mentioned as an outstanding, meaningful work by two critics who reviewed the Contemporary Arts Society exhibition. Gauvreau and the other Automatists used the media to explain their revolutionary ideas to the public; in describing how Canadian Automatism differed from Surrealism, Gauvreau declared, "I do not paint coldly, but under the influence of an imperative interior feeling whose origin I do not know, and which changes with each work." We cannot know the inspiration for Couchant corridor, but the result is strikingly beautiful. Sweeping gestural forms evoke a sense of movement, and the balance of colour in the composition creates a playful impression in this early, superlative painting.
Acquired directly from Madeleine Arbour, a signatory of Refus global
Galerie Dresdnere, Toronto, 1985
Exhibitions:
Dominion Gallery, Montreal, Eighth Annual Exhibition of the Contemporary Arts Society, November 16 - 30, 1946
75 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Group Automatiste, February 15 - March 1, 1947
75 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Trente-trois tableaux de Pierre Gauvreau, November 15 - 30, 1947
Literature:
Sylvain Lecombre, "Vivre une peinture sans tradition," Paris-Paris: Création en France 1937-1957, Centre George Pompidou, 1981, pages 218 - 220
François-Marc Gagnon, Chronique du mouvement automatiste québécois, 1998, pages 282 and 284
Notes:
Couchant corridor was painted in 1946, the same year Pierre Gauvreau returned to Canada from England, and was subsequently included in three important early exhibitions - the Contemporary Arts Society annual exhibition in 1946, the second Automatist show in February 1947, and a solo show in November 1947. The exhibitions received considerable attention from the local press, and Couchant corridor was favourably mentioned as an outstanding, meaningful work by two critics who reviewed the Contemporary Arts Society exhibition. Gauvreau and the other Automatists used the media to explain their revolutionary ideas to the public; in describing how Canadian Automatism differed from Surrealism, Gauvreau declared, "I do not paint coldly, but under the influence of an imperative interior feeling whose origin I do not know, and which changes with each work." We cannot know the inspiration for Couchant corridor, but the result is strikingly beautiful. Sweeping gestural forms evoke a sense of movement, and the balance of colour in the composition creates a playful impression in this early, superlative painting.
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.
(*) Text and/or Image might be subject matter of Copyright. Check with Heffel auction house for permission to use.