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Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: BILL REID (IIJUWAS), O.B.C., R.C.A. (1920-1998), HAIDA, Haida Beaver Tsing, 1978
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: BILL REID (IIJUWAS), O.B.C., R.C.A. (1920-1998), HAIDA, Haida Beaver Tsing, 1978
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: BILL REID (IIJUWAS), O.B.C., R.C.A. (1920-1998), HAIDA, Haida Beaver Tsing, 1978

BILL REID (IIJUWAS), O.B.C., R.C.A. (1920-1998), HAIDA

Haida Beaver Tsing, 1978
serigraph, 28.5 x 21.25 (72.4 x 54 cm), framed
190/195
LOT 1
ESTIMATE: $1,000 — $1,500
PRICE REALIZED: $1,140.00

Further images

  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 1 ) BILL REID (IIJUWAS), O.B.C., R.C.A. (1920-1998), HAIDA, Haida Beaver Tsing, 1978
  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 2 ) BILL REID (IIJUWAS), O.B.C., R.C.A. (1920-1998), HAIDA, Haida Beaver Tsing, 1978
  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 3 ) BILL REID (IIJUWAS), O.B.C., R.C.A. (1920-1998), HAIDA, Haida Beaver Tsing, 1978
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Starting in the early 1970s, Reid created his first limited edition prints, which were significant in popularizing Haida art globally. By the end of the 1970s and into the 1980s,...
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Starting in the early 1970s, Reid created his first limited edition prints, which were significant in popularizing Haida art globally. By the end of the 1970s and into the 1980s, Reid's work in printmaking flourished during these decades. He became known for his silkscreen prints, or serigraphs, which were based on traditional Haida myths and stories. Haida Beaver Tsing is a captivating serigraph that emerged from this flourishing printmaking period. Here Reid deftly marries traditional Haida themes with a modern aesthetic. This particular print is a striking example of his technique, featuring symmetrical balance and a classic colour scheme of black and red on cream coloured paper. The beaver, with its bold formlines and iconic 'buck teeth', holds a stick and is cleverly merged with a human figure within its tail, creating a narrative of transformation—a hallmark of Haida lore. The delicately flaring, almost skeletal formline of the human figure contrasts with the beaver's solid form, signifying a metamorphosis between the natural, human, and supernatural realms. Atop the human figure, the three faces echo a 'chief's hat', a symbol of rank and the history of potlatches, marking the piece as a rich text of cultural significance.
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Provenance

Waddingtons, Toronto, 27 November 1997;

Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Toronto.


Literature

Image reproduced in Gerald McMaster, Iljuwas Bill Reid: Life & Work, e-Publication, (Toronto: Art Canada Institute, 2020), p. 18, as "Haida Beaver - Tsing" and "1979".
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The main office of First Arts Premiers Inc. is located on the ancestral and traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Huron-Wendat, the original owners and custodians of this land.  Today, it is home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.

 

 

 

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