The Art of Canada Auction (Canadian Art)

May 30, 2016

LOT 66

Lot 66

PAUL VANIER BEAULIEU, R.C.A.

PAUL VANIER BEAULIEU, R.C.A.
Lot 66 Details
PAUL VANIER BEAULIEU, R.C.A.

STILL LIFE NO. 13

oil on canvas
signed and dated ‘53
15 ins x 21.75 ins; 38.1 cms x 53.3 cms

Estimate $8,000-$12,000

Realised: $8,610
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Additional Images
PAUL VANIER BEAULIEU, R.C.A.
  • PAUL VANIER BEAULIEU, R.C.A.
  • PAUL VANIER BEAULIEU, R.C.A.
Provenance:

Private Collection, Quebec

Literature:

Michel Beaulieu and Jacques Brault, Signatures: Paul Beaulieu, La Prairie, 1981, Ottawa, pages 16-17.

Note:

In the 1940s and 1950s there were few commercial galleries in Montreal in which to exhibit. Artists frequently mounted studio shows to promote their work. Paul Beaulieu also marketed his pictures in this way. However, in the year this work was painted, Beaulieu had begun to command broader attention from collectors, dealers and critics alike and his work was included in shows such as “Some Contemporary Canadian Artists” at the Musée des beaux arts. From 1954-1965, Beaulieu was represented by the prestigious Dominion Gallery, which further afforded him a degree of financial security.

Beaulieu, like many modernists, did not undertake still life with a view to replicating what lay before him. He also drew from memory and imagination as is clearly evidenced by this lot. Beginning from 1948 and for the next six years, Beaulieu embarked upon an intense period of production which focused on capturing the essential - line, form, and colour. Asking himself “Apres tout, la ligne n’est elle pas à la base de tout art pictorial?” Michel Beaulieu notes that it is at this point “Les éléments qu’il represente sont alors réduits à l’essential et les rassemblements hétéroclites, voires baroques, disparaîssent... Les tableaux de la phase postérieure de cette period temoignent de cette apparents simplification.”

CONDITION DETAILS

For condition information please contact the specialist.

LOT 66
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About Condition Ratings

  • 5 Stars: Excellent - No discernable damage, flaws or imperfections
  • 4 Stars: Very Good - Minor flaws or imperfections visible only under close inspection using specialised instruments or black light
  • 3 Stars: Good - Minor flaws visible upon inspection under standard lighting
  • 2 Stars: Fair - Exhibits flaws or damage that may draw the eye under standard lighting
  • 1 Star: Poor - Flaws or damage immediately apparent under standard lighting (examples: missing components, rips, broken glass, damaged surfaces, etc.)

Note: Condition ratings and condition details are the subjective opinions of our specialists and should be used as a guide only. Waddington’s uses due care when preparing condition details, however, our staff are not professional restorers or conservators. Condition details and reports are not warranties and each lot is sold “as is” in accordance with the buyer’s terms and conditions of sale. In all cases the prospective purchaser is responsible for inspecting the property themselves prior to placing a bid.