Sold for: $94,400

PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the Artist by Kenneth G. Heffel Fine Art Inc., Vancouver
Peter and Joanne Brown Collection, Vancouver, acquired from the above in 1986

LITERATURE
Terrence Heath, Joe Fafard, National Gallery of Canada and MacKenzie Art Gallery, 2007, page 127, the 1983 earthenware and acrylic paint sculpture entitled Dear Vincent reproduced page 126

In Joe Fafard’s series of sculptures based on well-known artists, his depictions of Vincent van Gogh occupy a special place. In the winter of 1982 to 1983 Fafard read Dear Theo, an edited collection of van Gogh’s letters to his brother. Terrence Heath wrote, “The impact of van Gogh’s thoughts was profound. Fafard became fascinated, not just with van Gogh’s work but with his entire approach to working as an artist and living as a seeking, troubled, but always intensely vibrant human being.” Fafard then traveled to Europe to see a retrospective of the artist’s work at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

The painted surface of this sculpture is vibrant, and the palette, such as the blue of the artist’s jacket and the greenish hue of his skin, directly relates to that of van Gogh’s self-portraits. Holding his palette, brushes and a lighted candle, van Gogh sits on the cane chair made famous in his paintings, such as Van Gogh’s Chair, 1888. His expression, one of intense inner reflection, is unforgettable—more than a likeness, this extraordinary bronze carries a living presence.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars