signed and dated 1968 on the reverse; titled on the stretcher
50 × 50 in (127.0 × 127.0 cm)
Auction Estimate:$12,000 - $15,000
Sale date:May 30, 2024
Price Realized
$18,000
(including Buyer's Premium)
Provenance
Roberta Pollock, Ottawa
Collection of The Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2015
Exhibited
"Ivan Eyre: Landscapes and Still Lifes", Winnipeg Art Gallery, 15 September-31 October 2017
Literature
Denis Cooley, Amy Karlinsky and Mary Reid, "Figure Ground: The Paintings and Drawings of Ivan Eyre", Winnipeg, 2005, pages 17-18
Sometimes identified as a Surrealist, Ivan Eyre would simply state that his work is characterized by his own personal mythology. In 1966-67, he travelled to England and throughout Europe where he was able to sell many of his paintings to private collectors. His works were inspired by the Symbolist philosophy of following subjective recollection and reaction rather than the Realist-Impressionist technique of observation-based painting. His still life paintings, including "Café", dating to 1968, contain ambiguous items, including boxes, scrap papers and photographs, which are only somewhat discernable to the eye, as the forms are heavily stylized and tightly arranged. Upon a very close inspection of the painting, we are able to identify a mug and a cord plugged into an outlet, but much remains a mystery. Eyre was committed to engaging the viewer; he brings us on “an active journey through his work by creating paths of movement.” This realm of unidentifiable figuration, yet separate from abstraction, is a unique and intriguing characteristic of Eyre’s work.
This artwork is being sold to benefit the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG)-Qaumajuq in establishing an endowment fund to support more diverse representation in the permanent collection, beginning with contemporary Canadian art. Cowley Abbott is pleased to donate our selling commission to the fund as part of the sale.
