Lot 73
BILL REID, O.B.C., R.C.A. (1920-1998)
Painted Canoe Tunic, 1989
pigment on a hand-sewn fabric tunic, 35.25 x 27 in (89.5 x 68.6 cm)
unsigned.
ESTIMATE: $10,000 — $15,000
PRICE REALIZED: $15,600
Provenance
Gift of the artist to Dr. George MacDonald, 21 December 1989;
Collection of Dr. George and Mrs. Joanne MacDonald, Cantley, Quebec;
Estate of Dr. George MacDonald.
According to Dr. MacDonald, this tunic was designed and hand-painted by his friend Bill Reid to be the prototype for garments to be worn by paddlers of a Haida canoe during events on the Ottawa River organized by the Canadian Museum of Civilization [1]. The striking designs resemble crests that Reid designed for limited edition prints, as well as for a couple of fashion vests that he is known to have designed. The front of the design features a grizzly bear. The reverse shows a more radically stylized crest, depicting perhaps a wolf, Wasco (sea wolf), or a sea bear.
1. Black Eagle, a sister canoe to Reid's Red Raven (itself a fibreglass canoe moulded from the hull of Reid's famous Lootaas canoe), was operated every summer on the Ottawa River by the Canadian Museum of Civilization.