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Jeffrey Spalding, CM, President RCA to advise The Cahén Archives
The Cahén Archives confirms appointment of Jeffrey Spalding as Executive Director to the Boards of The Cahén Foundation and The Visual Literacy Foundation of Canada.
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 Cahén Collage New Auction Record November 26, 2009
 Heffel Fine Art Auction November 26, 2009 (streaming video)
CANADIAN POST-WAR & CONTEMPORARY ART AND FINE CANADIAN ART
OSCAR CAHÉN
Lot # 008
New record: $40,950
Untitled
watercolour, pastel and ink collage on paper board, circa 1954 ~ 1955
on verso inscribed with The Cahén Archives #FAMM-058
29 x 39 in, 73.7 x 99 cm
Provenance:
Private Collection, Toronto
Literature:
Karl Nickel, Oscar Cahén: First American Retrospective Exhibition, The Ringling Museum of Art, 1968
David Burnett and Marilyn Schiff, Contemporary Canadian Art, 1983, page 49
Exhibited:
The Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida, Oscar Cahén: First American Retrospective Exhibition, September 30 - November 10, 1968, catalogue #42
Considered one of the bright stars of Painters Eleven from its inception, Cahén's tragic death in 1956 at the age of 40 did not diminish his legacy. Having survived World War II when he was shipped from Prague to England in 1938, only to be interned in England as an enemy alien. It was by chance rather than choice that he was sent to Canada in 1940, where he worked as an illustrator in Montreal. His career as a painter, stimulated by his friendship with Harold Town and Walter Yarwood, truly began with his arrival in Toronto in 1946. His earliest paintings from that period reflect the influence of both Abraham Rattner and British artist Graham Sutherland. This provocative work from the 1950s exhibits the strong, sharp, graphic strokes and bright palette that came to characterize his images. Cahén's training and skill as a graphic designer added to his ability to handle a broad range of media, while his life experience made him stand out as a true original among his peers in the burgeoning Toronto art scene. He was able to move between figurative and purely abstract work with ease and assurance. David Burnett and Marilyn Schiff wrote, "His work...was not gestural in the sense of the broad, sweeping brushwork of contemporary American Abstract Expressionism, but more closely structured along the lines of contemporary European and British painting. It reflects...a talent that was not and could not be restricted to one particular mode of approach."
This work has been assigned ID #FAMM-058 SL by The Cahén Archives.
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Q4/2009
Oscar Cahén
FAMM-058 Untitled
watercolour, pastel and ink collage on paper board, circa 1954 ~ 1955
29 x 39 in, 73.7 x 99 cmm
© The Cahén Archives
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At the Archives
As part of The Cahén Foundation’s continuing conservation programme, a number of paintings have been completed by RestorArt’s Laszlo Cser, a distinguished restorer who has worked on many important Canadian historical projects, including the Parliamentary Library in Ottawa.
WORKS ON PAPER
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Q4/2009
Oscar Cahén
FAO-200 Vegetation
oil on masonite
21.5 x 18" 53.97 x 45.72 cm
© The Cahén Archives
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Earliest Known Cahén Exhibited
This unique piece, signed and dated in 1931, exhibited ("Hauswand") at the Dresden Kunstakademie (http://www.Kunstakademie-dresden.de) while Oscar completed his work towards the degree "Master of the College of Fine Arts" at the age of 15. The work, now restored, will be available as part of the pending "Cahén Technoprotographics™ Project". Further details, on request, from info@oscarcahen.com .
The Dresden General Academy of painting, sculpture, art, engraving and architecture was founded in 1764 by order of Friedrich Christian as the successor to the "Drawing and painting school" established in 1680.
Well-known professors and artists including Canaletto, Giovanni Casanova, Caspar David Friedrich and Gottfried Semper, helped to build the Academy’s international reputation. The teaching of Oskar Kokoschka and Otto Dix in Dresden continued a long tradition.
In 1950 the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden combined with the State School of Art Work, the successor to the Royal Saxon art school founded in 1875/76, encompassing the College of Fine Arts in Dresden.
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Q4/2009
Oscar Cahén
ZOO GFA-559
airbrushed ink and pigment on paper
16.5 x 11.5" 41.91 x 29.21 cm
© The Cahén Archives
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 CBC Broadcast: Celebrating Oscar Cahén
Exuberant, flamboyant, colourful and lush. Just a few ways to describe the paintings of Oscar Cahén. Cahén died fifty years ago. He's considered one of Canada's most influential abstract artists... but outside of the art world, not too many Canadians know his name. Phlis McGregor and Heidi Petracek talk about Oscar Cahén.  RealPlayer® Windows Media Audio mp3 [runs: 8:10]
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Q4/2006
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"Formation of The Cahén Foundation, the Cahén Archives Fund and The Visual Literacy Foundation of Canada
To reintroduce and reinforce the voice of Oscar Cahén across Canada and internationally, and to honour his contribution to Canadian art, as well as to provide leadership in the preservation and conservation of Canadian fine art, The Cahén Archives is pleased to announce the formation of The Cahén Foundation, the Cahén Archives Fund and The Visual Literacy Foundation of Canada.
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Q1/2007
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Rembering Oscar Cahén (1916-1956): gallery moos
Gallery Moos cordially invites you to view the work of Canadian artist Oscar Cahén.
This exhibition, on the 50th anniversary of Cahén’s death, commemorates his vast influence on Canadian art. Please join us for an early viewing Saturday, November 25th 2006 from 2 to 6 p.m. Exhibition continues to 27th January 2007.
gallery moos
622 Richmond Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 1Y9
Tel: (416) 504 5445 Fax: (416) 504 5446 www.gallerymoos.com
Gallery hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 11 to 6 p.m.
Member of the Art Dealers Association of Canada
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Q4/2006
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Hommage à Oscar Cahén (1916-1956): La Galerie Samuel Lallouz
La Galerie Samuel Lallouz a le plaisir de vous convier à la présentation des œuvres de l'artiste canadien Oscar Cahén. Cette exposition, qui coïncide acec le 50e anniversaire de la mort de Cahén, célèbre son immense influence sur l'art canadien.
Le mercredi 22 novembre 2006 de 17h à 20h
L'exposition se poursuivra jusqu'au 27 janvier 2007.
A TRIBUTE TO OSCAR CAHÉN (1916-1956)
Galerie Samuel Lallouz is pleased to invite you to a premiere of work by Canadian artist Oscar Cahén. This exhibition, on the 50th anniversary of Cahén's death, commemorates his vast influence on Canadian art.
Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
This exhibition will continue until January 27th, 2007.
Galerie Samuel Lallouz
1434, rue Sherbrooke Ouest, bureau 200
Tél.: (514)849-5844 www.galeriesamuellallouz.com info@galeriesamuellallouz.com
Heures d'ouverture: de 11h à 18h du mardi au samedi.
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Q4/2006
Oscar Cahén
Sans titre / Untitled FAMM 057
Pastel, aquarelle et gouache sur carbon à dessin
Pastel, watercolour and gouache
on illustration board
101 x 75.6cm (29 3/4 x 39 3/4 in.)
© The Cahén Archives |
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2006 Toronto International Art Fair
The Cahén Archives presented a special preview selection at The 2006 Toronto International Art Fair, from November 9th to 13th, under the auspices of Gallery Moos and The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Jeffery Spalding AGNS Director presented The Cahén Archives at the Special Collectors Preview evening sponsored by The Art Gallery of Ontario. See www.tiafair.com.
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Q4/2006
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Oscar Cahén Bibliography
We are pleased to announce a new section under
the heading ‘Bibliography’.
This substantive, although as yet incomplete
bibliographical list, is published here for the
first time. Please
contact us if
you have any suggestions, additions or
amendments.
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Q3/2005
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The National Gallery of Canada presents The Warrior by Oscar Cahén
Raymonde Davidson,
'guide bénévole' (docent) at The National
Gallery of Canada, will be presenting
The Warrior
by Oscar Cahén, on June 2nd
and June 9th
at the National Gallery in Ottawa.
For a transcript in French,
contact us.
An armorial historian, having reviewed Cahén’s
studies for The Warrior, alongside a
number of wooden sculptures with an armorial
theme, confirms these pieces demonstrate
significant accuracy with respect to their
armorial references.
Several of the shields and helmets date to what
are believed to include 13th century, mainly
Portuguese armour. It is possible that some
items of this period were exhibited at The ROM
when Oscar lived in Toronto.
Several of the drawings present the Warrior
mounted on an abstraction representing the
'foreshortened' horse. In the medals struck in
this period, and particularly with respect to
paintings, horses were traditionally
foreshortened to a single plane. On the right
hand side of the Warrior drawings, one finds the
lance being handed by the Squire to the Warrior.
In the painting, the Squire is not present but
the arm formation (left arm of the Warrior right
hand of the picture) is consistent with these
earlier drawings. In the central chest area, one
finds important iconography which Oscar used as
early as 1949 in his animal and rooster images
(see FAO-013 Animal.)
In addition to this painting, which is currently
on loan to the National Gallery, the NGC owns
four works by Oscar Cahén acquired between 1953
and 1996.
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Q2/2005
FAG-050
Study for The Warrior
ink on paper
28" X 42".
© The Cahén Archives |
FAO-013
Animal
oil on masonite
20" X 24".
© The Cahén Archives |
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Cahén illustration chosen
 Canadian
Obsessions: A Century of National Preoccupations
as seen by Maclean’s.
“For a nation with a collective,
ingrained habit of self-effacement, Canada has an
extraordinary knack for surprising the world. But
our country’s obsessions – hockey, weather, national
identity – have stayed remarkably constant over
the years.
After telling Canada’s story for the past century,
Maclean’s is uniquely placed to recognize those
obsessions. And, as the magazine prepares to mark
its centennial, the people who put this book together
have mined the Maclean’s archives to uncover the
images and words that best reflect 100 enduring
Canadian preoccupations.”
Editor: Pamela Young. Canadian Obsessions, Douglas
& McIntyre Vancouver ISBN 1-55365-097-2.
(Maclean's
- CANADIAN OBSESSIONS)
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Q1/2005
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Cahén Landscape Acquired by European Collector
 Known
for his powerful abstract and illustration work,
a unique Cahén piece Fogwood Farm painted
when Oscar first moved into King, Ontario, reflecting
his neighbour, the painter, Frank Fog's house.
A rare photograph of
the artist with this piece as a work in progress
forms part of the painting's special provenance.
Coincidentally, the
National Post featured the Cahén home, now known
as Painter's Hollow, on Saturday January
15 2005, in an article entitled Working From
a Fresh Palette by Connie Adair. Current owner,
designer / landscape architect Robert Packham, has
restored and expanded the property into an 'exquisite
residence.'
(www.homestore.ca/toronto/marsland)
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Q1/2005
FAO-378
Fogwood Farm
Oil on canvas mounted on board
20 X 24 in. 50.8 X 61 cm.
© The Cahén Archives |
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Canadian Academy of Independent Scholars
Simon Fraser University
Copyrights © 2003 - 2010
Canadian Academy of Independent Scholars (CAIS)
Simon Fraser University
All Rights Reserved
Canadian Academy of Independent
Scholars
Founder:
Dr. Yosef Wosk
Chairman: Mark Dwor
November 4th
2004
Michael Cahén CAIS: Lecture
Oscar Cahén: The Road to Recognition
The Context: The Business World and
The Business of Art and Serving Stakeholders
"Coterminous in needs, Contradistinct in deeds"
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Q4/2004
The artist, the curator, the collector - and by implication - all stakeholders are poorly served by current practices in the Canadian art world.
The broader Canadian art arena has seen no real change in fundamental delivery practices, while the majority of environments undergo profound transformation and re-invention. Rare signs of evolving transparency in the Canadian art world simply magnify a backdrop of complacency, and what could be taken as a blithe contempt for transparency and accountability.
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Maclean's Feature: Bringing Back Oscar
Contents fully credited to source within "Fair Use" exemption guidelines.
All other companies or institutions are trademarks or servicemarks of their respective holders.
Maclean's Oct 25, 2004
vol.117 no. 43: 59-64
Bringing Back Oscar
by Katherine Macklem
Publisher: Rogers Publishing Ltd.
© Copyright 2004
www.macleans.ca
ISSN 0024-9262
Cahén, Oscar
(MACLEAN'S PROFILE - The Canadian Encyclopedia)
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'CAHÉN,' says
McLaughlin Gallery's
Aurandt, 'is one of those
crucial artists who
should be reconsidered' |
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For Matthew Teitelbaum,
Director of the AGO –
“Cahén had the potential,
had he lived longer and continued
to paint, to rank with Borduas
and Riopelle”
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Q4/2004
Photo Credit:
Maclean's – JAMES LABOUNTY
BRINGING BACK OSCAR
The Painter's son,
writes KATHERINE MACKLEM,
won't let Canada forget Oscar Cahén |
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Border Crossing Feature: Oscar Cahén: In Search of Lost Fame
 ISSUE
NO. 91
Oscar Cahén: In Search
of Lost Fame
by Gary Michael Dault
Publisher: Arts Manitoba Publications Inc.
© Copyright 2004
www.bordercrossingsmag.com
ISSN 0831-2559
Editor: Meeka Walsh
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Q3/2004
© The Cahén
Archives™
Photograph by Page Toles, Toronto
“ ... a great many – no, I’ll go as far as to
say
most of Oscar Cahen’s paintings -
and his exciting drawings too –
can still make you feel as if
the top of your head is missing.”
Gary Michael Dault
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Canada Trust Vancouver International Jazz Festival 2004 Choose Cahén Artwork
Canada Trust
Vancouver International
Jazz Festival 2004 Choose Cahén Artwork
"We needed a creative vehicle to reflect the exuberance
and high energy of this year's Festival"
Robert L. Kerr, Executive Director,
Coastal Jazz and Blues Society
www.coastaljazz.ca
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Q2/2004 | Q3/2004
Untitled – Percussion Series
watercolour, gouache, casein and resist on Hi-Art illustration
paper
30” x 18” 76.2 cm x 45.7 cm
“Like the creative jazz artist, this untitled
creation
speaks volumes. Its colours are warm and inviting.
The composition is loose yet structured.
Its effect is arresting and, like the jazz artist,
creates a mesmerizing ambiance.”
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National Gallery of Canada Extends Loan Agreement
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National Gallery of Canada
Loan Agreement
"On behalf of the National Gallery of Canada, I
would like to thank you for so graciously agreeing
to extend the loan of The Warrior by Oscar Cahén
presently on view at the National Gallery of Canada."
Pierre Théberge, Director,
National Gallery of Canada |
Registered
Trademark of the NGC
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Q2/2004
The Warrior
oil on canvas
79.4” x 102.6” 203.5 cm x 263.2 cm
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Painters Eleven: Art Shock in Toronto
Contents fully credited to source within "Fair Use" exemption guidelines.
All other companies or institutions are trademarks or servicemarks of their respective holders.
Art Shock in Toronto
Painters Eleven: The Shock of the New
Abstract art, meet Toronto the Good
by Graham Broad
The Beaver, Canada’s History Magazine
Vol. 84:1
Publisher: Canada’s National History Society
ISSN: 0005-7517
Editor: Annalee Greenberg |
Q1/2004
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Growing
Form
oil on canvas
1953
Royal Bank of Canada Corporate Art Collection
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“Had he lived, Oscar
Cahen might be remembered as the greatest of all
Canadian artists. A gifted illustrator, he also
produced some of the group’s most profound works,
remarkable for their freedom of movement and striking
colours. He remained the artistic center of gravity
in Painters Eleven even after his death in a car
accident in 1956.”
Graham Broad |
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“In 1953 Toronto seemed
the unlikeliest place for such an exhibition. Visitors
found the city dour and churchy. Sidewalk cafes
were prohibited, and it was illegal to sell tobacco
on Sundays.
... A gloomy 1950 article in Canadian Art concluded
"There is something rotten in the state of Toronto
art, and it is of the dead rot kind", or as the
artist Graham Coughtry put it "every damn tree in
the country has been painted.”
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