Lot 124
MICHAEL MASSIE (1962-)
Additional Images
Provenance:
One of the most important artists from Labrador and easily one of the most inventive and skilled. Massie is known for his creative interpretations of teapots and mixed media works. In 1996 he gained recognition in the United States and began a seven year representation by Alaska on Madison Gallery in New York City. Later while represented by Spirit Wrestler Gallery in Vancouver, he was encouraged to work in the more traditional medium of stone. While his choice of materials and approach to carving would evolve over the years his theme of family and Inuit tradition would remain fairly consistent. Massie’s use of a once popular technique in France of inlaying metal in tiny points is not the only European influence evident in this work. Like Pitaloosie and Karoo before him, “Massie estimates that his own style of distortion owes as much to Picasso as to Inuit shamanism”.
Literature:
Gloria Hickey, Silver & Stone: The Art of Michael Massie, Inuit Art Quarterly, Winter 2006, page 25