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Zwickers Gallery

Halifax

Norval Morrisseau

(Canadian, 1932–2007)

self portrait devoured by his passions by norval morrisseau

Norval Morrisseau

Self Portrait Devoured by his Passions

Price on Request

thunderbird by norval morrisseau

Norval Morrisseau

Thunderbird

Price on Request

Biography

Timeline

1932
Born, Sandy Point Reserve, Ontario
First Nations Affiliation: Ojibwa

A member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts since 1970, Norval Morrisseau was the celebrated founder of the Woodland School, which revitalized Anishnabe iconography, traditionally incised on rocks and Midewiwin birchbark scrolls. A self-taught painter, printmaker, and illustrator, Morrisseau created an innovative vocabulary which was initially criticized in the Native community for its disclosure of traditional spiritual knowledge. His colourful, figurative images delineated with heavy black formlines and x-ray articulations, were characteristically signed with the syllabic spelling of Copper Thunderbird, the name Morrisseau's grandfather gave him. Morrisseau completed many commissions during his career, including the mural for the Indians of Canada Pavilion at Expo '67. He was presented with the Order of Canada in 1978, and in 1980 honourary doctorates from McGill and McMaster Universities. In 1995, Morrisseau was honoured by the Assembly of First Nations.

Selected Collections
Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario
The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario
Art Gallery of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario
Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, Ontario
Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Québec
City of Toronto Collection, Toronto, Ontario
Confederation Centre Art Gallery and Museum, Charlottetown, PEI
Dodd's Coal Mines, Edmonton, Alberta
Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta
Government of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Government of Ontario Collection, Toronto, Ontario
Guardian Capital Group, Toronto, Ontario
Hart House Art Gallery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
Humber College Collection, Toronto, Ontario
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario
McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario
The Montréal Museum of Fine Art, Montréal, Québec
Musée du Québec, Québec City, Québec
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario
Seneca College, Toronto, Ontario
Simon Fraser Gallery, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia
Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Exhibitions

1997
Claiming Ourselves Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
1994
Kinsman Robinson Galleries, Toronto, Ontario
Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario
1993
Art of the Anishnabe: Works from the Permanent Collection Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario
1992
The Spirit Within Kinsman Robinson Galleries, Toronto, Ontario
Jenkins/Showler Galleries, White Rock, British Columbia
Wallack Galleries, Ottawa, Ontario
1990 - 1991
Kinsman Robinson Galleries, Toronto, Ontario
1989
The Art Emporium, Vancouver, British Columbia
Woodlands: Contemporary Art of the AnishnabeThunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario
1988
Sinclair Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia
1987
A Celebration of Contemporary Native Art Southwest Museum, Los Angeles, California
1986
New Beginnings Native Business Summit, Toronto, Ontario
The Shaman Art of Morrisseau and Marion The Gallery, First Canadian Place, Toronto, Ontario
The Birch Bark Sings Ontario North Now, Ontario Place, Toronto, Ontario
1985
Two Worlds Norman MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan

Literature

1998
Hill, R. William. 'Travels to the house of invention.' Aboriginal Voices 5, no. 1 (January/February): 62.
1997
Cardinal-Schubert, Joane. 'In the red.' In Borrowed Power: Essays on Cultural Appropriation, eds. Bruce Ziff and Pratima V. Rao, 122-133. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.
'More magical Morrisseaus.' Toronto Star, 24 September, p. D1, D5.
Morrisseau, Norval. 'The history [excerpt from Morrisseau's Norval Morrisseau: Travels to the House of Invention].' Canadian Art 14, no.3 (Fall): 94-95.
Morrisseau, Norval and Donald C. Robinson. Norval Morrisseau: Travels to the House of Invention. Toronto, Ontario: Key Porter Books.
Robinson, Donald and Kenneth Williams. 'Norval Morrisseau: Travels to the House of Invention.' Windspeaker 15, no.7 (November): 12.
1993
Philips, Ruth B. 'Messages from the past: Oral traditions and contemporary Woodlands art.' In In the Shadow of the Sun: Perspectives on Contemporary Native Art, 233-255. Hull, Québec: Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Canadian Museum of Civilization, ed. In the Shadow of the Sun: Perspectives on Contemporary Native Art. Hull, Québec: The Museum.
1992
Cardinal-Schubert, Joane. Time for Dialogue: Contemporary Artists. Calgary, Alberta: Aboriginal Awareness Society.
1991
Review: Kinsman Robinson Galleries. Toronto Star, 7 May, p. D1.
Robinson, Donald C. ' Copper thunderbird: The legend of Norval Morrisseau.' Art Post 9, no. 1: 11-13.
1990
'Norval Morrisseau.' Aurora 14, no. 3 (Winter): 48.
'Paintings from the Glenbow Collection.' Calgary Herald, 27 July, p. D1. [Review: Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta]
1986
Menitove, Marcy, ed. The Permanent Collection: Thunder Bay Art Gallery. Thunder Bay, Ontario: The Gallery. [exhibition catalogue]
1984
Southcott, Mary E. The Sound of the Drum: The Sacred Art of the Anishnabe. Erin, Ontario: Boston Mills Press.
Hill, Tom and Elizabeth McLuhan. Norval Morisseau and the Emergence of the Image Makers. Toronto: Methuen. [Catalogue of an exhibition held at the Art Gallery of Ontario, 17 February - 15 April 1984 and travelling to other galleries]
1979
Sinclair, Lister, Jack Pollock, and Norval Morrisseau. The Art of Norval Morrisseau. Toronto, Ontario: Methuen.
1972
Dickason, Patricia Olive. Indian Arts in Canada. Ottawa, Ontario: Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.
English (US)

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