Alex Simeon Janvier, LL.D (; born February 28, 1935) is a First Nation artist in Canada. As a member of the commonly referred to " Indian Group of Seven", Janvier is a pioneer of contemporary Canadian Aboriginal art in Canada.

Career

Alex Janvier was born on Le Goff Reserve, Cold Lake First Nations, northern Alberta, on February 28, 1935 of

Dene Suline Chipewyan or Denesuline (ethnonym: ), often simply called Dene, is the language spoken by the Chipewyan people of northwestern Canada. It is categorized as part of the Northern Athabaskan language family. Dënësųłinë́ has nearly 12,000 ...

and Saulteaux descent. At the age of eight, he was sent to the Blue Quills Indian residential school near

St. Paul, Alberta St. Paul, originally known as St-Paul-de-Métis or St-Paul-des-Métis, is a town in east-central Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by the County of St. Paul No. 19. It was known as St. Paul de(s) Métis between 1912 and 1936. History The com ...

, where the principal recognized his innate artistic talent and encouraged him in his art."Artist Alex Janvier's work on display at National Gallery"
''Calgary Herald'', Peter Robb: November 26, 2016 Alex Janvier received formal art training from the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art in Calgary (now the Alberta University of the Arts) and graduated with honours in 1960. He was one of the first Canadian First Nations artists to train in a professional art school. Immediately after graduation, Janvier took up an opportunity to instruct art at the University of Alberta. In 1966, the federal Department of Indian and Northern Affairs commissioned him to produce 80 paintings. He helped bring together a group of artists for the Indians of Canada Pavilion at Expo 67, among them Norval Morrisseau and Bill Reid. Janvier currently runs Janvier Gallery in Cold Lake, Alberta, with his family."Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts: Announcement of winners"
Mar 25, 2008 Canadian Council for the Arts] In 2016, a retrospective exhibition of his work opened at the National Gallery of Canada. Also, in 2016 Janvier's large mosaic ''Tsa Tsa Ke Kʼe'' (''Iron Foot Place'') was installed at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

Style

Alex Janvier, the 'first Canadian native modernist,' has created a unique style of modernist abstraction, his own "visual language," informed by the rich cultural and spiritual traditions and heritage of the Dene in northern Alberta. His abstract style is particularly suited to large-scale works. He makes magic arts and three-dimensional works. Two of his stylistic influences among Western artists are Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky, while among Native traditions he is particularly inspired by the abstract patterns of traditional hide-painting, beadwork and quillwork.

Politics

Alex Janvier signed his paintings with his treaty number from 1966 to 1977 to protest government policies against Aboriginal people.National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation
He also makes references to treaty language in the "ironic and allusive" titles of his art, such as "Sun Shines, Grass Grows, Rivers Flow", grounding his abstract art in political conflicts.

''Morning Star''

In 1993 a large abstract painting by Janvier, ''Morning Star'', was installed at the river end of the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of History, where a seven-storey-high dome rises above the granite floor. Janvier created the painting with the assistance of his son Dean, between June and September. Janvier titled the work ''Morning Star'' in reference to the star's use as a direction-finder. He planned the four areas of colour in the outside ring to represent periods in Native history: yellow, for early history in harmony with nature; blue, for the changes brought about by contact with European civilization; red, for revival and optimism; and white for reconciliation and a return to harmony.

Awards

* 2018 Member of the Alberta Order of Excellence * 2008 Mairon Nicoll Visual Art Award, Alberta Foundation for the Arts * 2008 University of Calgary honorary degree, Doctor of Laws * 2008 Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts * 2008 University of Alberta honorary degree (Doctor of Laws) * 2007 Member of the Order of Canada. * 2005 Centennial Medal for outstanding service to the people and province of Alberta. * 2002 National Aboriginal Achievement Award * 2001 Tribal Chiefs Institute Lifetime Achievement Award. * 2001 Cold Lake First Nations Lifetime Achievement Award. * 1992 Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts. * 1985 Canada/China Cross Cultural Exchange Tour because he made magic and three-dimensional arts

Films and television

* 2005 CBC ''ArtSpot'' * 2004 ''The Sharing Circle'', segment featuring Alex Janvier. * 1991 ''Investment in Art'', Alberta Art Foundation, Edmonton, Alberta. * 1991 ''Echo Des Songes'', Arthur Lamothe, Montreal, Quebec. * 1984 ''Seeing It Our Way: Alex Janvier'', CBC Edmonton. * 1983 ''Our Native Land: Alex Janvier'', CBC/CBO. * 1973 ''Canadian Indian Canvas'', Henning Jacobsen Productions, Toronto, Ontario. * 1973 ''Colours of Pride'', National Film Board of Canada. * 1973 ''Alex Janvier: The Native Artist'', Alberta Native Communications Society.

Education

* 2019 Honorary MFA, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, Alberta. * 1960 Fine Arts Diploma, Alberta College of Art, Calgary, Alberta.

Collections

* Alberta Art Foundation, Government of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta * Alberta Indian Arts and Crafts Society, Edmonton, Alberta * AMACO Canada Ltd., Calgary, Alberta * Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta * The Late Helen E. Band Collection, Toronto, Ontario * The Saidye and Samuel Bronfman Memorial Collection, Montreal, Quebec * The Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa * Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, Quebec * Cinader Collection, Toronto, Ontario * Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, Ontario * Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Ottawa, Ontario * City of Edmonton, Edmonton, Alberta * Edmonton Public Schools Board, Edmonton, Alberta * Esso Oil Resources, Calgary, Alberta * Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta * Government of Alberta, Edmonton * Gulf Oil Resources, Calgary, Alberta * McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinberg, Ontario * Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan * Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Quebec * National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario * The Late Lester B. Pearson Collection, Ottawa, Ontario * Petro-Canada, Calgary, Alberta * Shell Canada, Calgary, Alberta * Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario * Toronto Dominion Bank, Toronto, Ontario * Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba

References

External links

Alex Janvier's Official Website

Seventh Generation Gallery
in the Netherlands, Europe, including art of Alex Janvier.
''Morning Star - Gambeh Then’'' virtual exhibition
from Canadian Museum of History. {{DEFAULTSORT:Janvier, Alex 1935 births Living people 20th-century First Nations people 21st-century First Nations people Artists from Alberta First Nations painters Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts winners Indspire Awards Members of the Alberta Order of Excellence Members of the Order of Canada Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts Saulteaux people