Art Articles & Reviews

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Remai Modern would like to express sincere condolences to
the family of Cree artist Allen Sapp, who died Monday at his home in North Battleford.
He was 87. “Allen Sapp’s story is an inspiring one,” said Gregory Burke, Remai Modern’s Executive
Director & CEO.

Drawing on his childhood memories of life on a reserve, Sapp became an internationally
celebrated artist, the focus of a North Battleford gallery, and the recipient of many
honours. “He played a significant role in the shaping of the visual arts in this province and
beyond,” Burke said, noting Remai Modern has 11 paintings by Allen Sapp in the
permanent collection.

The gentle and unassuming Sapp was recognized as one of Saskatchewan’s first
professional indigenous artists, a trailblazer who by example encouraged many other
artists to follow their own paths. He was also an avid singer and drummer at powwows
and other cultural celebrations.
Sapp was in his 40s when his career blossomed under the influence of a North
Battleford patron, Dr. Allan Gonor. Sapp was trying to make a living selling his
artworks—at that time inspired by mountain landscapes and other calendar scenes—
door to door. Recognizing Sapp’s potential, Gonor arranged for him to take some
lessons with noted Saskatoon artist Wynona Mulcaster, then an art professor at the
University of Saskatchewan.

As a result, he was encouraged to relate his own stories on canvas. He developed a
poignant narrative style that documented Saskatchewan’s history and served as an
authentic lens on indigenous culture.
In 1969, the Mendel Art Gallery organized Sapp’s first major solo exhibition, attracting
13,000 visitors. All 60 paintings were subsequently sold. The artist’s career then soared;
in a little more than a year, he had several successful exhibitions, including ones in
London, England and Los Angeles and New York. A 1994 retrospective, organized by
Regina’s MacKenzie Art Gallery, travelled across Canada.

Sapp was an Officer of the Order of Canada, a member of the Royal Canadian
Academy of Arts, and a recipient of the Saskatchewan Award of Merit and a Lifetime
Award for Excellence in the Arts from the Saskatchewan Arts Board.

Image: Allen Sapp, A Nice Sunset, 1990, acrylic. Collection of the Gallery. Gift of the artist 1993.
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About Remai Modern
Due to open to the public in 2017, Remai Modern is a visionary new art museum development. The
building, designed by renowned Canadian architects KPMB, is on the banks of the beautiful South
Saskatchewan River at River Landing in the heart of Saskatoon. Remai Modern is home to the world’s most
comprehensive collection of Picasso linocuts and will offer transformative art experiences and innovative
programming. For more information, visit remaimodern.org.