Among the Indians,
as among other nations,
some people are born artists,
but most are not. I am a born artist.
Norval Morrisseau
Jean Baptiste Normand Henri Morrisseau, better known as Norval Morrisseau, is North America's leading contemporary aboriginal artist. The lifelong dedication of this immensely prolific painter has succeeded in producing a plethora of stunningly beautiful original artworks that depict the philosophy, heritage, vision and experience of the Anishnabe.
Morrisseau is the Grand Shaman of the Ojibway people. Using a simple palette of insight and inspiration he sought to lift the Anishnabe out of their present plight, and into the dignity and respect that his culture, and people, so richly deserve. Ultimately, Morrisseau's creative efforts have stretched far beyond barriers of race, to enrich and delight people of all creeds. His artistry is a beacon of enlightened genius given to our new global village, in trust.
From his earliest years Morrisseau was mentored in oral legends and traditional beliefs by his grandfather, Moses Nanakonagos; who was himself a shaman. Morrisseau's earliest artworks were inspired by Midewiwin (medicine) birchbark scrolls and ancestral pictographic rock carvings. As his artistic popularity grew aboriginal elders denounced his art with the claim that he was breaking taboos in depicting sacred rituals of the Ojibway.
Morrisseau's resounding response came in the form of an internationally acclaimed sell-out of his first major exhibition at Toronto's, "Pollock Gallery", in 1962. Armed with a stunning original visual vocabulary and a flamboyant flair for the dramatic, Morrisseau created feverishly over the course of forty years, leaving behind an astonishing legacy in paintings and sculpture.
In Canada, Morrisseau is a national treasure. In 1978, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. In 1980, he received honorary law degrees from McGill and McMaster Universities. At his recent National Gallery of Canada 50 year retrospective, "Shaman Artist", Morrisseau received induction into the Royal Society of Canada.
At 74, and laden with Parkinson's disease, Morrisseau no longer paints. However, through his vibrant art, and the "Woodland School of Art" movement spontaneously created as a result of his influence, Morrisseau's work continues to thrive.
Norval Morrisseau is one of a very few artists in the world
who can claim to be the creator of a completely new art movement,
and the National Gallery of Canada is privileged to be able to present this retrospective,"
Pierre Théberge, Director of the National Gallery of Canada .
MORRISSEAU FACTS
" Acknowledged as Grand Shaman of the Ojibwa in 1986 and, in 1995, the Assembly of First Nations bestowed on him their highest honour, the presentation of an eagle feather.
" In 1989, Morrisseau, whom the French press dubbed "Picasso of the North," was the only Canadian artist invited to exhibit at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris as part of the French Revolution Bicentennial celebrations.
" Norval Morrisseau became one of the first artists inducted into to the RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada. The RSC (Royal Society of Canada) consists of 1,800 distinguished Canadians selected by their peers for their outstanding contributions to the arts, natural and social sciences and the humanities.
Selected Gallery and Museum Collections
" Indian & Northern Affairs Canada
" Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
" National Gallery of Canada
" Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
" McMichael Canadian Art Collection
" Robertson Art Center
" Art Gallery of Ontario
" Thunder Bay Art Gallery
" Art Gallery of Windsor
" Government of Ontario Art Collection
" Royal Ontario Museum
" Canadian Museum of Civilization
" Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
" Musee du Quebec
" Mackenzie Art Gallery
" Glenbow Museum
" Winnipeg Art Gallery
" Art Gallery of Mississauga
" Hart House Collection.
Selected Bibliography
" Cardinal-Schubert, Joane. Time for Dialogue: Contemporary Artists. Calgary, Alberta: Aboriginal Awareness Society, 1992.
" Hill, Tom and Elizabeth McLuhan, Norval Morrisseau and the Emergence of the Image Makers (exhibition catalogue).Toronto: Methuen, 1984.
" Morrisseau, Norval. Legends of My People: The Great Ojibway. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1965.
" Morrisseau, Norval and Donald C. Robinson. Norval Morrisseau: Travels to the House of Invention. Toronto: Key Porter Books, 1997.
" Schwartz, Herbert T. Windigo and Other Tales of the Ojibway. Illustrated by Norval Morrisseau. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1969.
" Southcott, Mary E. The Sound of the Drum: The Sacred Art of the Anishnabe. Erin, Ontario: Boston Mills Press, 1984.
