Near Chelsea, Que, 1970
Oil on canvas
16 x 20 in
40.6 x 50.8 cm
40.6 x 50.8 cm
This painting is presently on view at our Toronto gallery
$2,750
Inscriptions
signed, ‘Henri Masson’ (lower right); titled signed and dated, ‘near Chelsea, que. Henri Masson / 1970’ (verso, upper horizontal stretcher bar)Provenance
Walter Klinkhoff Gallery Inc., Montreal
Joyner Fine Art, May 29, 2001, lot 57
Private collection, Collingwood, Ontario
Richly painted with expressive brushwork and simplified forms, Near Chelsea, Que, 1970 is a marvellous example of Henri Masson’s original vision of the Canadian landscape in paint. Inspired by the terrain around his adopted home of Ottawa, Masson built on the modernist tradition forged by the Group of Seven, taking that modernism even further than most of his contemporaries, and creating a body of work celebrating his subjects and everyday life.
Chelsea is located just outside of Hull, and about 15 km from Ottawa, where Masson had moved in 1921. An immigrant to Canada from Belgium, his career straddled the second world war. He became highly sought after among collectors and a major force in 20th Canadian art. Masson exhibited extensively in Canada and internationally from the 1930s, and his professional representation included Laing Galleries, Galerie L'art Francais, and Galerie Walter Klinkhoff.
As early as 1934, Masson earned the recognition of Dr. Marius Barbeau, one of the founders of Canadian anthropology and a significant figure at the National Museum of Canada (today Canadian Museum of History). Barbeau wrote:
“His field of action in the neighbouring landscape was, and is still, the rolling hills of Gatineau and Petit-Nation, north of the Ottawa River, the human toil, prayer and play of their settlers – mostly French-speaking, and the pastimes and occupation of the townsfolk in industrial Hull [...] Many canvases of Masson’s are fine and original...”
Today Masson’s paintings can be found in the collections of distinguished museums including the National Gallery of Canada, the Musée des beaux-arts du Quebec, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Ottawa Art Gallery, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
Chelsea is located just outside of Hull, and about 15 km from Ottawa, where Masson had moved in 1921. An immigrant to Canada from Belgium, his career straddled the second world war. He became highly sought after among collectors and a major force in 20th Canadian art. Masson exhibited extensively in Canada and internationally from the 1930s, and his professional representation included Laing Galleries, Galerie L'art Francais, and Galerie Walter Klinkhoff.
As early as 1934, Masson earned the recognition of Dr. Marius Barbeau, one of the founders of Canadian anthropology and a significant figure at the National Museum of Canada (today Canadian Museum of History). Barbeau wrote:
“His field of action in the neighbouring landscape was, and is still, the rolling hills of Gatineau and Petit-Nation, north of the Ottawa River, the human toil, prayer and play of their settlers – mostly French-speaking, and the pastimes and occupation of the townsfolk in industrial Hull [...] Many canvases of Masson’s are fine and original...”
Today Masson’s paintings can be found in the collections of distinguished museums including the National Gallery of Canada, the Musée des beaux-arts du Quebec, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Ottawa Art Gallery, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
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