signed in syllabics lower left; titled and with Kinsman Robinson inventory number on the reverse
47.5 × 47.25 in (120.7 × 120.0 cm) (each canvas)
Auction Estimate:$70,000 - $80,000
Sale date:June 11 - 25, 2024
Price Realized
$43,200
(including Buyer's Premium)
Provenance
Acquired directly from the Artist, 1994
Kinsman Robinson Galleries, Toronto
Private Collection, Toronto
Literature
Lister Sinclair and Jack Pollock, “The Art of Norval Morrisseau”, page 89-90, for a painting with a similar subject, the transformed shaman artist with an exaggerated phallus, “Phallic God in Disguise”, 1972
Lister Sinclair and Jack Pollock state, “Morrisseau, like most famous artists throughout history, is fascinated with sexuality. In tribal beliefs, the phallus has always been an object of extreme reverence and a very realistic symbol of great power. The erotica of Morrisseau deserves a special place among his works. His concepts of sexuality are further proof of the artist’s vibrant and fertile imagination.” Morrisseau's erotic works act as a powerful symbol of masculinity and fertility.
