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LOT 050

1968 -
Canadian

I Need Your Help
acrylic on board
on verso initialed, dated 1994 and stamped Studio of Steven Shearer
42 x 42 in, 106.7 x 106.7 cm

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

Sold for: $16,250

Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave

PROVENANCE
S. L. Simpson Gallery, Toronto
Acquired from the above by an important Private Collection, Vancouver

LITERATURE
Josée Drouin-Brisebois, Steven Shearer: Exhume to Consume, National Gallery of Canada, 2011, page 9


In the book on the art of Steven Shearer accompanying his participation in the 2011 Venice Biennale, Marc Mayer wrote that in “evoking a tension between youthful rebellion and the social forces that try to constrain it, Shearer celebrates this anarchistic, defiant aggression and invests it with a sense of cathartic dignity that stems in part from his own experiences as a teenager in suburbia.” Through the ever-changing forms of his work, Shearer connects to the continuum of art-making, but with a contemporary vision that draws on pop culture. He has often used text in his work - such as in his Poem series (1999), in which he gave voice to the ennui and alienation of youth subculture. In I Need Your Help, Shearer imbeds an evocative line of text within a cool Victor Vasarely-style Op Art globe (the stacked letters also form other words vertically). Although depicted in calm, carefully formed letters, the message "I need your help" provokes strong emotional reactions - is it a personal plea? is it the globe of the world asking us to stop our destructive activities?

From his Vancouver base, Shearer has built an international profile, and he is represented by Galerie Eva Presenhuber, a leading contemporary gallery in Zurich.

Please note: this work is unframed.


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.