Jack Shadbolt’s Dog Search for Identity is a striking mature work that unfolds across three panels, combining figuration and abstraction in a vivid, energetic composition. Set against a bright turquoise ground animated by diagonal flashes of colour, the triptych presents shifting animal forms that move from more defined figures at left, to compressed and introspective at centre, and finally to an explosive, bird-like transformation at right. Bold reds, yellows, and blues intensify this sense of movement and metamorphosis.

The painting suggests not a single subject, but a process of becoming - an ongoing search for identity in which forms dissolve, reassemble, and evolve. This restless transformation is central to Shadbolt’s late practice, where gesture, symbolism, and intuition replace fixed representation.

Shadbolt is widely regarded as one of Canada’s most important modern painters, celebrated for pioneering a distinctly West Coast vision of abstraction rooted in landscape, mythology, and global artistic influences. A key figure in 20th-century Canadian art, he helped expand the expressive possibilities of painting in this country, bridging European modernism with Pacific Northwest sensibilities. Dog Search for Identity exemplifies this achievement, demonstrating both his mature technical confidence and his enduring exploration of identity as fluid, dynamic, and unresolved.

Torben V. Kristiansen, a legendary figure in the Canadian art world, was a steadfast champion of Jack Shadbolt for many decades. As the owner and operator of the Art Emporium on Granville Street for more than 60 years, Kristiansen was both an astute collector and a discerning dealer of Shadbolt’s work throughout this remarkable period. Kristiansen’s passion for collecting extended broadly across Canadian art - he was an avid supporter of the Group of Seven, Jean Paul Riopelle, Tom Thomson, with a particular focus on artists from British Columbia such as Emily Carr, Gordon Smith and Shadbolt, among others.

Larger than life - much like Shadbolt himself - Kristiansen often spoke in his later years about the idea of an auction dedicated solely to Shadbolt’s work. Heffel is honoured to present this curated selection from his storied collection.

Please note: each panel measures 60 x 40 inches.

For the biography on Torben V. Kristiansen in PDF format, please click here.