QMG
1916 - 1965
Canadian
Le fonctionnaire
oil on canvas
signed, titled and dated 1957 and on verso signed, titled, dated 13 Sept. 1957 and inscribed "Ville St-Laurent, P. Qué., Canada"
34 x 26 in, 86.3 x 66 cm
Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD
Sold for: $70,200
Preview at: Heffel Vancouver
PROVENANCE
Galerie Camille Hébert, Montreal
A Prominent Montreal Family Estate
Sold sale of Canadian Post-War & Contemporary Art, Heffel Fine Art Auction House, May 15, 2013 lot 052
Jean-Philippe Dallaire worked in a variety of styles, drawing on elements of Cubism and Surrealism, and often used humour and caricature in his work. His palette, like his style, was equally wide-ranging. In this brilliantly-hued portrait of an official, Dallaire exaggerates the official’s hat and gives him a ridiculous moustache. The gaudily-painted uniform seems more costume-like than official, and the fact that Dallaire shows him holding a bouquet distracts from and undermines his role as a member of the bureaucracy. Dallaire often commented in a humorous, tongue-in-cheek manner on politics and French society in his works, using riotous colours and a fine painting technique that allowed his many layers of careful underpainting to show through one another. The official’s clownlike face and wavering figure contribute to the comment that Dallaire is making on authority, officials and societal relationships.
Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD
All prices are in Canadian Dollars
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