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LOT 048

ARCA SAPQ
1939 - 2014
Canadian

Salamala
acrylic, charcoal and pastel on 12 assembled canvases
signed and dated 1975 and on verso signed, titled, dated and inscribed ''#57'' on the National Gallery of Canada exhibition label
36 x 48 in, 91.4 x 121.9 cm

Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000 CAD

Sold for: $16,250

Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave

PROVENANCE
Galerie Jolliet, Quebec City
Private Collection, Quebec City

LITERATURE
Alain Parent, “Dessins du Québec / Drawings from Quebec,” National Gallery of Canada Journal, no. 19, November 1, 1976, page 3

EXHIBITED
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Dessins du Québec / Drawings from Quebec, National Gallery of Canada National Programme, 1976 - 1977, catalogue #57


Charged with visceral energy, a torrent of paint, charcoal and pastel streams diagonally across the canvas. From right to left, soft grey striations swell, then fade, accentuated by black and white splatters. The overall composition feels intensely gestural and unrestrained. However, the remarkably spontaneous and expressive splashes of Jacques Hurtubise’s Salamala are not what they seem. These spills are not accidental, but instead deliberate, expertly contoured constructions that have been part of the artist’s practice since the mid-1960s. In 1970, he began using small square canvases, painted as individual works and then secured together to form a grid, allowing him various options. Salamala, executed in 1974, consists of 12 individual square canvases. When discussing the work, Alain Parent, former curator at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, stated, “[Salamala’s] pictorial character, the direction of the flowing of acrylic, and the rubbed charcoal effect are as radical in their expressiveness as the decomposition of space implied by the total separateness of one square to another (each square possessing an autonomy relative to the overall space defined).”


Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000 CAD

All prices are in Canadian Dollars


Although great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information posted, errors and omissions may occur. All bids are subject to our Terms and Conditions of Business. Bidders must ensure they have satisfied themselves with the condition of the Lot prior to bidding. Condition reports are available upon request.