Sunday, December 9, 2007

IN MEMORIAM: NORVAL MORRISSEAU

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NORVAL MORRISSEAU (1931-2007)
"We Are All One in Spirit"

STATEMENT FROM SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN ON PASSING OF NORVAL MORRISSEAU

WASHINGTON, DC Dec. 5th, 2007 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian acknowledges with great sadness the passing of one of the most important artists in the history of indigenous art, Norval Morrisseau.

"He was a role model, visionary and seminal force throughout Native America and Canada," said Kevin Gover (Pawnee), director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. "We were especially fortunate to have the great man himself present at the opening of his major retrospective, 'Norval Morrisseau: Shaman Artist,' at our New York City museum. Through his groundbreaking and vibrant works, he positioned his rich indigenous heritage squarely within modern art; a revolutionary and uplifting achievement that influences contemporary culture through today."

John Haworth (Cherokee), director of the National Museum of the American Indian's George Gustav Heye Center, where the Norval Morrisseau retrospective is currently on view said, "This is a great loss for both the Native and artistic communities of the world. We are honored to have an exhibition of his powerful work on view at this sad time. As I walked through the galleries this morning, I contemplated how his works have uplifted and inspired countless viewers and also have encouraged hundreds of Native artists to realize their own dreams." -

* The painting in this posting: "Nature Spirits", 30"x51", © 1984 Norval Morrisseau /Private Collection/

1 comment:

ojibway said...

I have just today come accross this sad news.
May I extend my condolences to the Morrisseau family who must take great pride to have been associated with a great artist and who share such a sad loss.
Norval Morrisseau was a truly great artist whose work was original and inspirational. I used to refer to it as 'dream painting' before I became familiar with the term 'surrealist'. But I would still prefer to call his work 'dream painting'. Surrealism is to take the known world and conciously paint it in a 'style' where as dream painting, in my opinion, comes straight from the mind or the subconcious.
Though I never met the man,our pathes crossed briefly way back. I have always held Norval Morrisseau in great regard and in a small way, he influenced my future.
I have been using the nickname Ojibway for some 10 years now out of defernce to him and the many other I met and worked with during my short stay in Canada. I use it here, somewhat self-concoiusly
Michael