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LOT 069

AANFM CAS PY QMG
1910 - 2007
Canadian

Émeraudes de nuit
oil on canvas
signed and dated 1953 and on verso signed, titled and dated on two labels
17 x 23 in, 43.2 x 58.4 cm

Estimate: $9,000 - $12,000 CAD

Sold for: $17,550

Preview at: Heffel Vancouver

PROVENANCE
Collection of the Artist
By descent to the present Private Collection, England

LITERATURE
Dennis Reid, A Concise History of Canadian Painting, 2012, page 243


Léon Bellefleur was interested in art as a child, and had determined to become an artist by the age of 12. His early career was spent teaching, but after meeting Alfred Pellan in 1942, Bellefleur was introduced to the Automatists, and through them became interested in the work of the Surrealists, especially that of Paul Klee. Bellefleur was a signatory of the Prisme d’yeux manifesto, and participated in their first show in 1948 when, as Dennis Reid relates, they declared: “We seek a painting freed from all contingencies of time and place, of restrictive ideology, conceived without any literary, political, philosophical or other meddling which could dilute its expression or compromise its purity.” Bellefleur’s paintings are usually organized around a central motif, as is the case here, with a seemingly organic, energetic, amorphous form set in a black (or often white) space. His work seems filled with a sense of new life, having a quality akin to birth or growth, and often leaves the viewer feeling that something is about to happen.


Estimate: $9,000 - $12,000 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.