Allen Sapp
Allen Sapp
1929 - 2015
OC RCA
Born on the Red Pheasant reserve in Saskatchewan, Allen Sapp, or Kiskayetum (he perceives it), became known for his authentic records of the Cree people and their activities. Often bedridden with illness, Sapp was an infrequent school attendee and never learned to read or write. After his mother died, he was raised by his maternal grandmother, who encouraged his love of drawing and taught him the ways of the Cree people.

Beginning in the 1950s, Sapp produced portraits of his friends and family. He also painted works that he thought would be commercially viable, influenced by the art he had seen in magazines and calenders. However, in 1966 this changed when he met Dr. Allan Gonor, who encouraged Sapp to paint subjects based on his Cree identity and culture. He also arranged for Sapp to be tutored by Wynona Mulcaster, a Saskatoon painter and art professor at the University of Saskatchewan. Subsequently, Sapp’s sensitive paintings of the quiet and gentle Cree people carrying out such everyday activities as chopping wood, getting water or gathering snow to melt, brought him acclaim.

In 1969, he was awarded a Canada Council Arts Bursary, and in 1971 he was the subject of a CBC national broadcast titled Allen Sapp – By Instinct a Painter. Sapp was inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1987 in recognition of his achievements in the visual arts. In 1981, the book A Cree Life: The Art of Allen Sapp was released. Sapp was made an Officer of the Order of Canada, in recognition of both his work as a painter and the part he played in telling the story of the Cree nation. A retrospective of Sapp’s work entitled Kiskayetum was organized in 1994 by the Mackenzie Gallery in Regina which toured across Canada. In 2003, he received the Governor General’s Award for the illustrations he did for the children’s book The Song Within My Heart, a story about a young Cree boy based on Sapp’s memories.
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Nicotine and His Brother Passing By by Allen Sapp sold for $28,125
Allen Sapp
Nicotine and His Brother Passing By
30 x 48 in, 76.2 x 121.9 cm
acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000 CDN
Sold for: $28,125 CDN (premium included)
Winter Wonderland on Thursday, January 28, 2021
People Watching Hockey Game by Allen Sapp sold for $18,750
Allen Sapp
People Watching Hockey Game
30 x 48 in, 76.2 x 121.9 cm
acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000 CDN
Sold for: $18,750 CDN (premium included)
Figure | Fauna | Form on Thursday, November 25, 2021
Some Kids Don't Have Skates by Allen Sapp sold for $16,250
Allen Sapp
Some Kids Don't Have Skates
30 x 48 in, 76.2 x 121.9 cm
acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000 CDN
Sold for: $16,250 CDN (premium included)
Contemporary Landscapes on Thursday, January 30, 2020
The Boys are Playing Hockey by Allen Sapp sold for $15,000
Allen Sapp
The Boys are Playing Hockey
36 x 24 in, 91.4 x 61 cm
acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $5,000 - $7,000 CDN
Sold for: $15,000 CDN (premium included)
Town & Country on Thursday, November 26, 2020
John Bear Making a Fire by Allen Sapp sold for $15,000
Allen Sapp
John Bear Making a Fire
24 x 36 in, 61 x 91.4 cm
acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $3,000 - $4,000 CDN
Sold for: $15,000 CDN (premium included)
First Nations & Inuit Art on Thursday, February 27, 2020
Kids are Enjoying by Allen Sapp sold for $13,750
Allen Sapp
Kids are Enjoying
18 x 24 in, 45.7 x 61 cm
acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $2,500 - $3,500 CDN
Sold for: $13,750 CDN (premium included)
Winter Wonderland on Thursday, January 26, 2023
Has Half a Load of Wood by Allen Sapp sold for $10,000
Allen Sapp
Has Half a Load of Wood
18 x 24 in, 45.7 x 61 cm
acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $3,000 - $4,000 CDN
Sold for: $10,000 CDN (premium included)
Winter Wonderland on Thursday, January 28, 2021
Just a Barn by Allen Sapp sold for $9,360
Allen Sapp
Just a Barn
30 x 48 in, 76.2 x 121.9 cm
acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $8,000 - $12,000 CDN
Sold for: $9,360 CDN (premium included)
August 2012 - 1st Session on Thursday, August 30, 2012
Loading Hay by Allen Sapp sold for $8,750
Allen Sapp
Loading Hay
25 x 34 in, 63.5 x 86.4 cm
acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000 CDN
Sold for: $8,750 CDN (premium included)
Town & Country on Thursday, June 27, 2024
Family and Wagon by Allen Sapp sold for $8,750
Allen Sapp
Family and Wagon
30 x 48 in, 76.2 x 121.9 cm
acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000 CDN
Sold for: $8,750 CDN (premium included)
First Nations Art on Thursday, August 25, 2022