This historic collection of original paintings by Native artists of British Columbia's Kwak waka'wakw peoples, with its artistic beauty and ethnographic importance is now available to museums, galleries and private collectors. All prices are shown in Canadian dollars. Painting sizes are approximately 42 cms X 35 cms and 35 cms X 28 cms. Volume discounts available.
The story of this collection from its beginning in 1957 when an
immigrant Hungarian art dealer named Gyula Mayer recognized the talent of
the British Columbia Kwagiutl Indians and distributed paper, paint and
brushes to the coastal Indian communities, to the loss of a substantial
part of the collection which lay unattended yet unharmed for many years
gathering dust in the basement of the Canadian Pacific Railway depot in
Vancouver, to its rediscovery and authentication has "all the impact of an
archaeological discovery."
The Citizen, Edmonton
All the pieces in The Kwagiutl Collection were painted between 1958 and 1964 and until first exhibited in 1986 the Collection remained virtually unknown to the art world and anthropologist alike. Indeed, it could be said that it is the "missing link" between the infrequent paintings of the great Mungo Martin and the rush of contemporary Indian paintings and prints that found popularity in the early 1970’s. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about The Kwagiutl Collection is that the artists had little if any formal training. What you see in the exhibit is mostly self taught. Mayer’s invitation to paint released a torrent of talent and energy that even the most sophisticated and knowledgeable could not have anticipated. European civilization, imposed on the Kwagiutl people, had not been able to diminish a gift of the centuries. But words are trite along side these treasures. You must see them for yourself.
The owners of The Kwagiutl Collection are grateful to anthropologist Karen Duffek for her dedicated commitment to the authentication of the Collection and her cataloguing research project. The historical and biographical sections of this site are taken from her work.
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