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95 of 215 lots
Three Whales Painting By Joseph Sleep
Three Whales Painting By Joseph Sleep - 1Three Whales Painting By Joseph Sleep - 2Three Whales Painting By Joseph Sleep - 3Three Whales Painting By Joseph Sleep - 4
95
Three Whales Painting By Joseph Sleep
Estimate:
CA$3,000 - CA$4,000
Sold
CA$5,000
Live Auction
Canadian Folk Art
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
Sight: 13.5" x 13.5". Frame: 24.25" x 24.25" x .75".
Category
Folk Art
Description
Halifax, Nova Scotia. 1977. This is a beautifully balanced and graphically strong painting of three whales; a killer whale, sperm whale and what appears to be a blue whale. The whales are painted in white, black and grey and set within a colourful floral border. Sympathetically framed in a matted frame showing the entire board, which is how Sleep would have sold it. Signed "Joseph Sleep 1977" at lower front right corner. Zwicker's Gallery framing label on reverse.
Condition
Good condition with minor losses to board at corners and edges.
Medium
Mixed media on board.
Provenance
From the Gary Grossman Collection.
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