PROVENANCE
Collection of the Artist
Women's Auxiliary, Fourth Annual Sale and Exhibition of Contemporary Paintings, Vancouver Art Gallery, 1951
Acquired from the above by Mrs. L. Hopen
deVooght Galleries Ltd., Vancouver
Private Collection, Vancouver
Canadian Post-War & Contemporary Art, Heffel Fine Art Auction House, May 17, 2011, lot 2
The Collection of Torben V. Kristiansen, Vancouver

LITERATURE
Do You Own a Canadian Painting?, Vancouver Art Gallery, Women's Auxiliary, 1951, listed page 1

EXHIBITED
Vancouver Art Gallery, Fourth Annual Sale and Exhibition of Contemporary Paintings, organized by the Women's Auxiliary, Do You Own a Canadian Painting?, 1951

This vibrant B.C. Binning painting was acquired from the Women’s Auxiliary at the Vancouver Art Gallery, whose yearly selling exhibitions were organized with the intent of encouraging collectors to bring Canadian art into their homes. Binning was a pioneering West Coast modernist, involved in all aspects of the arts. He was head of the Fine Arts Department at UBC, an architect, an artist and an arts advocate. Primarily a draughtsman in his early career, Binning depicted West Coast life in his drawings. In 1948, he began to paint predominantly in oil; his subjects were ships and the sea, perhaps inspired by his own sailboat, which he named Skookumchuck. By 1950, Binning had developed a semi-abstract style that still relied on his nautical subjects. Massive architectural forms of ships at anchor dominate his works from this period. This whimsical painting with two large pared-down boats bobbing under the vibrant orange sun is a superb example of Binning’s work from this highly sought-after era.

This work is in the original frame made by Binning.

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

All prices are in Canadian Dollars