Kent Monkman
KENT MONKMAN "HOW TO TRICK THE FOUR-LEGGEDS", 2010
Kent Monkman (b.1965) is a Canadian First Nations artist of Cree ancestry and one of Canada's most acclaimed and notorious multidisciplinary artists today.
Over the last 15 years, Monkman has developed a distinct visual language that hijacks traditional landscapes and pictorial scenes, adding homoerotic revisionist anarchy to Canadian colonial images.
"Weesageechak Teaches Hermes How to Trick the Four-Leggeds" is exemplary of Monkman’s fondness for contrasting figures from European and Indigenous mythologies. In this epic painting, he highlights the similarities between the Greek god Hermes and the Cree figure Weesageechak—both of who are trickster figures in their respective belief systems.
By casting Weesageechak as an educator, Monkman inverts the traditional compositions of historical paintings (by George Catlin or Paul Kane) and demonstrates the value of Indigenous cultures. Throughout most of Canada's existence, Indigenous attributes have been eclipsed or suppressed in favor of European narratives.
Today, most of Monkman's paintings from this era are in major public collections, (relatively) intimate-sized works like this, or ones that are entirely by the artist's hand, are highly sought-after and rarely come to market.
The National Gallery of Canada, the Montreal Museum of Fine Art, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Vancouver Art Gallery, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian are just a few of the institutions that have Monkman's work in their permanent collection.
Questions about this piece? Contact us +1.416.704.1720
"Weesageechak Teaches Hermes How to Trick the Four Leggeds"
Canada, 2010
Acrylic on canvas
Signed and dated by the artist
60"H 48"W (work)
Framed
Very good condition.
Additional images available upon request.
Note: Caviar20 sold this painting in 2012 to a Toronto collector. We are excited and honored to have the opportunity to place this Monkman masterpiece once again.
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