GATINEAU, QC, July 10,
2024 /CNW/ - The Canadian Museum of History is
deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the multi-talented
painter Alex Janvier, pioneer of contemporary Indigenous art
movements, who passed away on July 10
at the age of 89 years.
Denesuline, from the Cold Lake First Nations, Treaty 6
Territory, Alex Janvier was born in
1935 on the Le Goff Reserve in Alberta, where he had a traditional upbringing
speaking the Dene language. At the age of eight, he became a pupil
at the Blue Quills Indian Residential School, where he was
encouraged to pursue art.
A prolific artist, and member of the Indigenous Group of Seven,
Mr. Janvier produced thousands of paintings during his career and
inspired – and continues to – many generations of Canadian artists.
His paintings have been exhibited around the world and are held in
many private and museum collections. The Museum of History has the
privilege of housing his largest mural, Morning Star, which
adorns the dome of the Haida Gwaii Salon since 1993. Painted by
Janvier with the help of his son, this mural rises seven stories
above the salon and covers 418 m2.
"I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of renowned
Denesuline artist Alex Janvier, who
was so highly respected and admired by all those who work at the
Museum. His monumental work, Morning Star – Gambeh Then', is
a centrepiece of our Museum, and is something that I always share
with guests when I take them through the building. Looking up to
discover this work is an unforgettable experience and I am
comforted to know that Janvier's legacy will live on at the Museum
though this groundbreaking work", said Caroline Dromaguet, President and Chief
Executive Officer of the Canadian Museum of History.
Member of the Order of Canada
and the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts, Mr. Janvier was
celebrated and honoured on many occasions. He received in 2002 a
National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation Lifetime Achievement
Award, a Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts in 2008,
and a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013, among many
other honours.
The Canadian Museum of History offers its most sincere
condolences to Mr. Janvier's family and friends.
If you would like to have your name removed from our
distribution list or if this information should be directed to
someone else, please email stephanie.verner@historymuseum.ca.
SOURCE Canadian Museum of History