Acquired directly from the artist (circa 1964)
The Sportsman Lodge on Little Vermilion Lake, Ontario
By descent to the present Private Collection, British Columbia
Geary’s Sports Centre was located at the south end of Howey Bay in Red Lake, an aviation hub and retail spot in the area. Owned by the Geary family, they regularly encountered Norval Morrisseau, the artist frequently stopping by the store on his way to and from his home in Sandy Lake Reserve, First Nation. During one visit, circa 1964, Morrisseau arrived with three works of art, which the family purchased. The paintings were flown to another of the Geary family’s businesses, the Sportsman’s Lodge on Little Vermilion Lake (north of Red Lake), where they were hung. Built by the family and opened in 1959, the lodge would be home to “Thunderbird at Rest” and “Thunderbird Young” (Lot 89) for more than thirty-five years, passing then into the family’s private collection. The consignor fondly recalls lying on the dining room floor of Sportsman’s Lodge as a child, looking up in awe of the wonderous works depicting the Thunderbird.
