OC RCA
1942 - 2019
Canadian
Le poney
bronze sculpture with patina
signed, editioned 5/9 and dated 2004
23 x 22 x 11 in, 58.4 x 55.9 x 27.9 cm
Estimate: $15,000 - $20,000 CAD
Sold for: $18,750
Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Vancouver
LITERATURE
Terrence Heath, Joe Fafard, National Gallery of Canada and MacKenzie Art Gallery, 2007, page 188, a photograph of Fafard as a boy with “le pony” reproduced page 12
Joe Fafard was born in Ste. Marthe in Saskatchewan, where his parents had a farm. Fafard, along with his siblings, was expected to contribute to farm work, such as cutting, raking and piling hay, using horse-drawn equipment. In the 2007 National Gallery catalogue for Fafard’s solo exhibition, a photograph shows Fafard as a boy sitting on a sled piled with hay. Harnessed to the sled is a small horse, and the photo is captioned “driving ‘le pony.’ ”
Fafard focused more on the horse than any other animal, in many different scales, in ceramics and bronzes, and the horses he sculpted range from massive workhorses and ponies to thoroughbreds. He stated, “In my later years, I have returned to explore this phenomenon of horses because there is a sort of love that I have for horses. I worked a great deal with horses when I was young. I had a small pony…” Valentin, lot 34 in this sale, is quite refined, but Le poney is an alert, sturdy animal, with a rough coat and windblown mane and tail – more like the small working horses of Fafard’s youth.
All prices are in Canadian Dollars
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condition of the Lot prior to bidding. Condition reports are available upon request.