Please note our offices will be closed from Friday March 29 through Monday April 1 for Easter. Local pick-ups will start on Tuesday April 2.
      
      
      

LOT 216

1952 -
Canadian

Totem
22k gold-plated bronze sculpture on a marble base
signed and dated 1984
50 1/2 x 5 x 4 in, 128.3 x 12.7 x 10.2 cm

Estimate: $25,000 - $35,000 CAD

Sold for: $53,100

Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave

PROVENANCE
Fletcher Challenge, Canada
Peter and Joanne Brown Collection, Vancouver

LITERATURE
Ian M. Thom, Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 2009, page 46


Born in Old Massett on Haida Gwaii, Jim Hart is one of the Northwest Coast’s most accomplished sculptors. Hart is a chief of the Haida Nation; and his great-great-grandfather was the renowned carver Charles Edenshaw. At 24, Hart assisted Robert Davidson with totem poles for the Edenshaw Memorial, and from 1980 to 1984 he worked with Bill Reid on Reid’s large-scale projects. Hart’s Respect to Bill Reid Pole is part of the outdoor Haida village at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC. Among his many well-known projects are Haida House in the Canadian Museum of Civilization’s Grand Hall, which he supervised, and several Haida longhouses he constructed in Old Massett. His powerful large sculpture The Three Watchmen stands in front of the National Gallery of Canada.

In Hart’s work lies a bridge between Haida tradition and the contemporary world. “I tell younger people all the answers are in the old pieces,” he stated, but he also moves forward to create his own style. This stunning totem, its surface gleaming with gold, contains the traditional iconography of the Haida, but Hart’s sleek and sinuous lines transform their visual language and bring it into the present.


Estimate: $25,000 - $35,000 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.