Black Cat by Joseph Sleep

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259 of 291 lots

259

Estimate:

CA$2,000 - CA$4,000

Sold

CA$3,000

Live Auction

Canadiana & Folk Art Featuring the Jim Fleming, Marty Osler, Susan Murray and Laing Collections

ARTIST

Joseph Sleep (1914-1978) grew up in Saint John, New Brunswick. He spent his life working in the fishing industry and as a jack-of-all-trades before becoming a worker for the 'Bill Lynch Shows' travelling carnival. It was not until 1973, when Sleep was hospitalized at the Halifax Infirmary, that he discovered his passion for drawing. The nurses requested he draw posters for them, and provided him with paper and art supplies - a gesture which started him on his late-life career as a painter. He later opened a small art studio on Argyle Street in Halifax. His folk art pieces incorporated many materials including latex, cardboard, canvas, masonite, felt markers and even spray paint. Work by Joe Sleep is included in the collections of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Dalhousie University Art Gallery, National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian Museum of History.

Size

Frame: 20 3/4" x 14 1/2" x 1/2". Sight: 19 1/2" x 13 1/2".

Category

Folk Art

Description

Halifax, Nova Scotia. c1980. Acrylic on board. An intense, slightly crazy looking black cat by famed Nova Scotia folk artist Joseph Sleep. Presented in a white painted wood frame is a seated black and white cat with collar and a head of exaggerated proportion. The cat is shown on a plain green field within a multi-coloured diagonal border. Notice the size: this comes from Sleep's early career when the works that he sold in downtown Halifax Park were small enough to easily fit into a suitcase. This is a fine example of Sleep's earliest work. Signed lower left, "Joseph Sleep".

Condition

Very good condition.

Provenance

From the Dianne McFee Collection.

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