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This session is closed for bidding.
Current bid: $75,000 CAD
Bidding History
Paddle # Date Amount

25688 30-Nov-2023 02:58:44 PM $75,000

28852 30-Nov-2023 02:58:22 PM $70,000 AutoBid

25688 30-Nov-2023 02:58:22 PM $65,000

28852 30-Nov-2023 02:58:04 PM $60,000 AutoBid

25688 30-Nov-2023 02:58:04 PM $55,000

28852 30-Nov-2023 02:57:43 PM $50,000 AutoBid

25688 30-Nov-2023 02:57:43 PM $47,500

28852 30-Nov-2023 02:55:48 PM $45,000 AutoBid

15655 30-Nov-2023 02:55:48 PM $42,500

28852 14-Nov-2023 11:43:38 AM $40,000 AutoBid

The bidding history list updated on: Thursday, October 31, 2024 06:57:55

LOT 408

AUTO CAS OC QMG RCA SCA
1923 - 2002
Canadian

Les deux renards
acrylic on lithograph on canvas
on verso titled and titled "Les Ficelles" on the gallery labels, dated 1971 on the gallery labels and inscribed variously
62 7/8 x 47 1/4 in, 160 x 120 cm

Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD

Sold for: $91,250

Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave

PROVENANCE
Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York
Acquavella Modern Art, New York
Galerie Simon Blais, Montreal
Private Collection, Toronto

LITERATURE
Noël Lajoie and Pierre Schneider, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Ficelles et autres jeux, Musée d'art moderne de la Ville de Paris, 1972, listed and reproduced
Simon Blais et al, Jean Paul Riopelle, Les Migrations du Bestiaire, 2014, reproduced page 137
Krista Ulujuk Zawadski, "Riopelle and Inuit String Games," Riopelle: The Call of Northern Landscapes and Indigenous Cultures, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 2020, pages 121
Yseult Riopelle, Jean Paul Riopelle Catalogue raisonné, Volume 4, 1966-1971, reproduced page 437, catalogue #1971.070P.1971

EXHIBITED
Canadian Cultural Centre and the Musée d'art moderne de la Ville de Paris, Riopelle: Ficelles et autres jeux, June 15 - October 12, 1972, catalogue #26
Galerie Simon Blais, Montreal, Riopelle, Les Migrations du Bestiaire, May 7 - June 16, 2014


Riopelle’s Jeux de ficelles series was produced between 1969 and 1971, and was composed of almost one hundred acrylics on paper, such as this fine example. The first major foray of the artist into the use of acrylics, the series was exhibited in 1972 at the Canadian Cultural Centre and Musée d’art moderne in Paris, and was described by the critic Robert Enright as “among his most important works on paper.” The primary inspiration of this productive moment was Riopelle’s introduction to string games played by Inuit communities during the winter months. These games, consisting of transforming figures made from loops of string held between fingers, were an important part of the social life and storytelling traditions in Arctic communities, and depicted animated animals and shifting figures in order to reproduce stories or accompany songs.

While producing the Jeux de ficelles works, Riopelle kept in his Meudon studio a copy of Guy Mary-Rousselière’s book Les jeux de ficelles des Arviligjuarmiut, which included extensive illustrations of the forms and methods of these games. The resulting images “can be interpreted to represent two distinct categories: the string figure as a central motif, and the string figure as a point of departure from improvisation.” Les deux renards seems to straddle both interpretations, suggesting the looped form of running foxes as well as the free, lyrical lines and vivid colour afforded by acrylic paints. This crucial mid-career period demonstrates Riopelle at his most joyful and vibrant.


All prices are in Canadian Dollars


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