Description:

Rita Letendre, RCA (1928-2021), Canadian
DAY IN MARCH, 1960
oil on canvas
signed and dated "60" lower right; signed, titled, and dated verso

Estimate: $40,000—60,000 CAD

  • Provenance:

    Heffel, Vancouver, BC, 27 Nov 2004, lot 92 as Untitled
    Private Collection, Toronto, ON

  • Dimensions: 31 x 26 in — 78.7 x 66 cm
  • Medium: oil on canvas
  • Notes:

    Accompanied by signed letter from artist.

    Rita Letendre emerged in Montreal between the 1940s breakthrough of the Automatistes and the 1960s ascent of the Plasticiens. By assimilating Paul-Émile Borduas’s inclination to immerse himself in the making of each work, Letendre claimed paint as her métier and achieved self-knowledge through making art.

    Day in March was painted in the most dynamic and exciting period in Letendre’s career as she was developing her pictorial language and working through the examples of Borduas and Jean Paul Riopelle. Like them, Letendre’s commitment to making art for personal self-knowledge never wavered for the remaining half century of her career even as her painterly styles changed.

    Day in March achieves immense scale with the limited palette Letendre preferred during this period and to which she would return in her final bodies of work. The particulars of the palette changed from painting to painting; the palette of Day in March includes chrome yellow, ultramarine, teal (likely the chrome yellow and ultramarine mixed), white, and black. Letendre first painted in a field of black and white, deliberately wet-in-wet, into which she thatched strokes of teal and yellow. Penultimately, she added the three angular black forms in the top right, centre left, and bottom right that dance across the surface, accented by final draws of yellow that pulled and incorporated the wet paint below.

    Day in March is a dynamic painting from a dynamic moment in the artist’s career. It demonstrates how she broke from Riopelle, how she was still reckoning with Borduas as the forms in her breakthrough 1961 abstractions developed in front of us, and how her career-long pursuit of light was honest and personal.

    The above essay was contributed by Gregory Humeniuk. Humeniuk is an art historian, consultant, writer, and curator based in Toronto.

  • Condition: Good overall condition.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

The Auctioneers will not undertake packing or shipping. The purchaser must designate and arrange for the services of an independent shipper and be responsible for all shipping and insurance expenses. The Auctioneers will, upon request, provide names of professional packers and shippers but will not be held responsible for the service or have any liability for providing this information. Reliable pre-auction estimates of shipping costs of lots offered in this sale may be obtained from:

PICK UP & SHIPPING FROM TORONTO:

When contacting the shippers please have your invoice # and item information ready.

PakShip
Attn: Taurus Chan
Tel: 905.470.6874
416.293.8225
Fax: 905.470.6875
[email protected]
www.pakship.ca

Safer Shipping
Attn: Perry Hehn
Tel: 416.299.3367
Fax: 416.299.9750
[email protected]
www.safershipping.ca

PICK UP & SHIPPING FROM VANCOUVER:

Please note that lots in our Waddington's West auctions are located in Vancouver, B.C. When contacting the shippers please have your invoice # and item information ready.

The UPS Store 424
Tel: 604-559-5446
[email protected]

PakMail
Tel: 604-472-6245
[email protected]
www.pakmailcanada.com

CITES WARNING:
Restrictions exist regarding the import and export of species protected under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). This includes but is not limited to items made of or containing bone (whalebone etc.), ivory, tortoise shell, seal skin, rhinoceros horn and any other animal part and is strictly controlled or forbidden by most countries. Please review your country's laws before bidding on pieces made of or containing these restricted items. It is the sole responsibility of the buyer to inquire about and obtain the proper permits for artwork purchased that may contain restricted materials, if such permit can be obtained. Please contact the department for further assistance. For more information please visit www.cites.org

November 28, 2024 8:00 PM EST
Toronto, ON, CA

Waddington's

You agree to pay a buyer’s premium, as outlined below, and any applicable taxes and shipping.
Buyer's Premium
$0 - $25,000:
25.00%
$25,001+:
22.00%

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
CA$0 CA$199 CA$10
CA$200 CA$499 CA$20
CA$500 CA$999 CA$50
CA$1,000 CA$1,999 CA$100
CA$2,000 CA$4,999 CA$200
CA$5,000 CA$9,999 CA$500
CA$10,000 CA$19,999 CA$1,000
CA$20,000 CA$49,999 CA$2,000
CA$50,000 CA$99,999 CA$5,000
CA$100,000 CA$299,999 CA$10,000
CA$300,000 CA$999,999 CA$25,000
CA$1,000,000 CA$1,999,999 CA$50,000
CA$2,000,000 CA$2,999,999 CA$100,000
CA$3,000,000 CA$4,999,999 CA$200,000
CA$5,000,000 + CA$300,000