George (1919) Morrison Paintings & Artwork for Sale | George (1919) Morrison Art Value Price Guide

Dec. 10, 2024
George Morrison, 1919-2000 (USA/France)
Est: £10,000 - £20,000
George Morrison (1919-2000). Abstraction. 1959. Oil on canvas, size 76 x 114 cm (30 x 45 inches). Frame dimensions 79 x 117 cm (31 x 46 inches). Signed and dated lower left. George Morrison was born on the Grand Portage Ojibwa Reservation in northern Minnesota and earned a scholarship to study commercial art in Minneapolis. He graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, went to New York City to the Art Students League, and then to Paris on a Fulbright Scholarship. His training was in traditional art but in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he became established as an Abstract Expressionist and "for year was better known outside Native American art circles than within". (375-Lester). For 20 years he lived in New York and also taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, but returned to Minnesota in 1970. There he founded the Indian Studies Program at the University of Minnesota and was a professor of art until 1983. After that, he moved to the North Shore of Lake Superior until his death. He became the first artist honored with the Eiteljorg Fellowship for Native American Fine Art from the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana, and in 1992, the Tweed Museum at the University of Minnesota in Duluth and the Minnesota Museum of American Art in St. Paul gave him a retrospective exhibition. In 2003, a solo exhibition is planned at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. Source: Marika Herskovic, Editor, American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s).
Cultural Traditions
Nov. 30, 2024
Morrison George
Est: CHF4,000 - CHF5,000
Abstract Composition Unten links signiert. Datiert 1956. Diverse kleine Farbverluste. Ungerahmt Ausrufdatum: 30.11.2024 Ungefähre Ausrufzeit: 14:20
Auktionshaus Zofingen
Oct. 19, 2024
GEORGE MORRISON (1914-2000) ABSTRACT, REDS, 1957, OIL ON PAPER, 21 1/2 X 30" SHEET
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
George Morrison (1914-2000) Abstract, Reds, 1957, Oil on paper, 21 1/2 x 30" sheet
Bakker Auctions
Oct. 01, 2024
George Morrison, 1919-2000 (USA/France)
Est: £6,000 - £12,000
George Morrison (1919-2000). Utitled. Abstraction. 1958. Oil on canvas, size 36 x 81 cm (14 1/4 x 32 inches). Signed and dated lower left. George Morrison was born on the Grand Portage Ojibwa Reservation in northern Minnesota and earned a scholarship to study commercial art in Minneapolis. He graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, went to New York City to the Art Students League, and then to Paris on a Fulbright Scholarship. His training was in traditional art but in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he became established as an Abstract Expressionist and "for year was better known outside Native American art circles than within". (375-Lester). For 20 years he lived in New York and also taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, but returned to Minnesota in 1970. There he founded the Indian Studies Program at the University of Minnesota and was a professor of art until 1983. After that, he moved to the North Shore of Lake Superior until his death. He became the first artist honored with the Eiteljorg Fellowship for Native American Fine Art from the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana, and in 1992, the Tweed Museum at the University of Minnesota in Duluth and the Minnesota Museum of American Art in St. Paul gave him a retrospective exhibition. In 2003, a solo exhibition is planned at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. Source: Marika Herskovic, Editor, American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s).
Cultural Traditions
Sep. 17, 2024
George Morrison Woodgrain Woodcut 1976-78
Est: $3,000 - $6,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Woodcut on paper depicting an intricate pattern of contrasting woodgrains in gold metallic ink, 1976-78. Pencil signed and dated along the lower right; numbered 14/79 along the lower left; Vermillion Editions Limited blindstamp along the lower left. Provenance: Private Minnesota Collection. Lot Essay: Regarded as the founding figure of Native American modernism and among the top American abstract expressionist painters is George Morrison. Also highly regarded as a master collage artist, he assembled large collages of found driftwood and woodcut in framed, puzzle-like forms. In the 1940s, he was formally trained at the Minneapolis College of Art and in the 1950s at the Art Students League in New York before receiving a Fulbright to study in France. Taking his place as part of the modern art movement in New York in the 1950s after World War II, he was friends with Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, regularly exhibiting with de Kooning, Philip Guston, Hans Hofmann, and Franz Kline. Morrison helped bring the New York Modern Art movement to Minnesota, where he was based and worked with pure form via Abstract Expressionism. Later in his career, in the mid-1970s, Morrison shifted to a new theme and started to really explore his heritage when he and his family built a home with an art studio on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation on Lake Superior, naming it Red Rock. Rather than portraying an overt depiction of identity, Morrison was in the process of exploring his identity so he looked to nature, stating "in this search for my own identity, I seek the power of the rock, the magic of the water, the religion of the tree, the color of the wind and the enigma of the horizon." Translating nature into paintings was Morrison's way to navigate learning and absorption, and in turn produce self-expression. His token theme was the horizon, taking on dynamic form as colors or shapes in the eternal motion of nature. His inspiration was provided by Lake Superior, observing and documenting the temporary sight of the revered sky meeting landscape that he beheld in the moment. His artworks are spotted today in the collections of the Heard Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Whitney Museum of American Art, US National Gallery of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Walker Art Center. In 1997 he was honored in a ceremony at the White House when his work was included in the Twentieth Century American Sculpture at The White House: Honoring Native Americans exhibition. In 1999 Morrison was honored as inaugural Master Artist in the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis.
Revere Auctions
Sep. 17, 2024
George Morrison "Red Cube" Artist Proof Lithograph
Est: $3,000 - $6,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Lithograph on paper titled "Red Cube" depicting undulating interlocking forms, reminiscent of the artist's found driftwood collages, 1983. Pencil signed and dated along the lower right. Titled and editioned "Artist Proof" along the lower left. Lot Essay: Regarded as the founding figure of Native American modernism and among the top American abstract expressionist painters is George Morrison. Also highly regarded as a master collage artist, he assembled large collages of found driftwood and woodcut in framed, puzzle-like forms. In the 1940s, he was formally trained at the Minneapolis College of Art and in the 1950s at the Art Students League in New York before receiving a Fulbright to study in France. Taking his place as part of the modern art movement in New York in the 1950s after World War II, he was friends with Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, regularly exhibiting with de Kooning, Philip Guston, Hans Hofmann, and Franz Kline. Morrison helped bring the New York Modern Art movement to Minnesota, where he was based and worked with pure form via Abstract Expressionism. Later in his career, in the mid-1970s, Morrison shifted to a new theme and started to really explore his heritage when he and his family built a home with an art studio on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation on Lake Superior, naming it Red Rock. Rather than portraying an overt depiction of identity, Morrison was in the process of exploring his identity so he looked to nature, stating "in this search for my own identity, I seek the power of the rock, the magic of the water, the religion of the tree, the color of the wind and the enigma of the horizon." Translating nature into paintings was Morrison's way to navigate learning and absorption, and in turn produce self-expression. His token theme was the horizon, taking on dynamic form as colors or shapes in the eternal motion of nature. His inspiration was provided by Lake Superior, observing and documenting the temporary sight of the revered sky meeting landscape that he beheld in the moment. His artworks are spotted today in the collections of the Heard Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Whitney Museum of American Art, US National Gallery of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Walker Art Center. In 1997 he was honored in a ceremony at the White House when his work was included in the Twentieth Century American Sculpture at The White House: Honoring Native Americans exhibition. In 1999 Morrison was honored as inaugural Master Artist in the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis.
Revere Auctions
Aug. 21, 2024
George Morrison, Native America (1919-2000)
Est: $400 - $600
George Morrison, Native America (1919-2000) Oil on Paper of an Abstract Composition in Yellow, Blue, and Red. Untitled. Signed bottom right hand corner, framed under glass. Image area measures, 6" H, 5-5/8" W, frame measures: 9-1/2" H, 9" W. Condition: Good condition. Estimate: $400.00 - $600.00 Domestic Shipping: $48.00
Kodner Galleries
Aug. 20, 2024
George Morrison (1919 - 2000) Watercolor Signed
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
Abstract Watercolor. 21" x 29" Signed and dated lower right 1957. This lot is being offered on behalf of the New York County Public Administrator from the Estate of Jason Schoenfeld (22-0226)
Weiss Auctions
May. 21, 2024
George Morrison "Nostalgia Aft. deChirco" Painting
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Tempera on paper painting titled "Nostalgia (After deChirco). Red Rock Variation. Lake Superior" depicting an abstract composition in red and blue, 1960. Signed, inscribed "Dayton Ohio," and dated along the lower right. With a label from Bockley Gallery affixed to the verso. Provenance: Private Minnesota Collection. Lot Essay: Regarded as the founding figure of Native American modernism and among the top American abstract expressionist painters is George Morrison. Also highly regarded as a master collage artist, he assembled large collages of found driftwood and woodcut in framed, puzzle-like forms. In the 1940s, he was formally trained at the Minneapolis College of Art and in the 1950s at the Art Students League in New York before receiving a Fulbright to study in France. Taking his place as part of the modern art movement in New York in the 1950s after World War II, he was friends with Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, regularly exhibiting with de Kooning, Philip Guston, Hans Hofmann, and Franz Kline. Morrison helped bring the New York Modern Art Movement to Minnesota, where he was based and worked with pure form via Abstract Expressionism. Later in his career, in the mid-1970s, Morrison shifted to a new theme and started to really explore his heritage when he and his family built a home with an art studio on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation on Lake Superior, naming it Red Rock. Rather than portraying an overt depiction of identity, Morrison was in the process of exploring his identity so he looked to nature, stating "in this search for my own identity, I seek the power of the rock, the magic of the water, the religion of the tree, the color of the wind and the enigma of the horizon." Translating nature into paintings was Morrison's way to navigate learning and absorption, and in turn produce self-expression. His token theme was the horizon, taking on dynamic form as colors or shapes in the eternal motion of nature. His inspiration was provided by Lake Superior, observing and documenting the temporary sight of the revered sky meeting landscape that he beheld in the moment. His artworks are spotted today in the collections of the Heard Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Whitney Museum of American Art, US National Gallery of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Walker Art Center. In 1997 he was honored in a ceremony at the White House when his work was included in the Twentieth Century American Sculpture at The White House: Honoring Native Americans exhibition. In 1999 Morrison was honored as inaugural Master Artist in the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis.
Revere Auctions
May. 21, 2024
George Morrison Gouache Sailboat Painting 1949
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Gouache on paper painting depicting two sailboats on the water, 1949. Signed and dated along the lower left. Provenance: Private Minnesota Collection. Lot Essay: Regarded as the founding figure of Native American modernism and among the top American abstract expressionist painters is George Morrison. Also highly regarded as a master collage artist, he assembled large collages of found driftwood and woodcut in framed, puzzle-like forms. In the 1940s, he was formally trained at the Minneapolis College of Art and in the 1950s at the Art Students League in New York before receiving a Fulbright to study in France. Taking his place as part of the modern art movement in New York in the 1950s after World War II, he was friends with Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, regularly exhibiting with de Kooning, Philip Guston, Hans Hofmann, and Franz Kline. Morrison helped bring the New York Modern Art movement to Minnesota, where he was based and worked with pure form via Abstract Expressionism. Later in his career, in the mid-1970s, Morrison shifted to a new theme and started to really explore his heritage when he and his family built a home with an art studio on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation on Lake Superior, naming it Red Rock. Rather than portraying an overt depiction of identity, Morrison was in the process of exploring his identity so he looked to nature, stating "in this search for my own identity, I seek the power of the rock, the magic of the water, the religion of the tree, the color of the wind and the enigma of the horizon." Translating nature into paintings was Morrison's way to navigate learning and absorption, and in turn produce self-expression. His token theme was the horizon, taking on dynamic form as colors or shapes in the eternal motion of nature. His inspiration was provided by Lake Superior, observing and documenting the temporary sight of the revered sky meeting landscape that he beheld in the moment. His artworks are spotted today in the collections of the Heard Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Whitney Museum of American Art, US National Gallery of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Walker Art Center. In 1997 he was honored in a ceremony at the White House when his work was included in the Twentieth Century American Sculpture at The White House: Honoring Native Americans exhibition. In 1999 Morrison was honored as inaugural Master Artist in the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis.
Revere Auctions
May. 11, 2024
Large Abstract Portrait by George Morrison
Est: $600 - $800
Large Abstract Portrait by George Morrison (1919-2000) | Approx. Size: 30" W x 40" H.
Worthington Galleries
Apr. 13, 2024
AMERICAN ABSTRACT OIL PAINTING BY GEORGE MORRISON
Est: $100 - $150
Oil painting on canvas glued to a board by George Morrison, 1919 to 2000, a Native American landscape artist and sculptor. The artwork is an abstract composition in yellow, blue, and red. Signed by the artist and dated 1957 in the lower right. Canvas mat, golden frame. Collectible Mid Century Modernist Fine Art.
Antique Arena Inc
Apr. 07, 2024
Large Abstract Portrait by George Morrison
Est: $600 - $800
Large Abstract Portrait by George Morrison (1919-2000) | Approx. Size: 30" W x 40" H.
Worthington Galleries
Apr. 06, 2024
American George Morrison Abstract Oil Painting
Est: $10,000 - $20,000
Fine abstract oil painting attributed to well known artist George Morrison (1919-2000). Size: 18 1/2" x 14 1/2" framed; 13 3/8" x 9 1/2" unframed.~~.Born in northern Minnesota in the Grand Portage band of Chippewa (Ojibway) Indians, George Morrison made abstract paintings, wood collages, and sculptures that enlarged the notion of Native American art beyond the stereotypical Indian subject matter.Morrison had a traditional Ojibway upbringing on the Grand Portage reservation before attending an Indian boarding school in Wisconsin. He studied art at the Minneapolis School of Art (today the Minneapolis College of Art and Design) and the Art Students League in New York. Living and working in New York in the 1950s and 60s, he participated in the prime of the Abstract Expressionist movement with richly colored abstract paintings and Surrealist drawingsMorrison taught art at the Rhode Island School of Design in the 1960s. On returning to his home state in 1970, he taught in the studio art and Indian studies programs at the University of Minnesota until retirement in 1983. His late works included large relief sculptures, as wide as twenty feet, composed of found and prepared wooden elements collaged together. He also made a series of commissioned wooden column-like sculptures he called "Totems," and painted many small (one foot wide or less), thickly-painted abstractions known as the "Horizons" series. Morrison's art was featured in a debut exhibition (with Allan Houser) at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in 2004.Selected solo exhibitions: - 19481960: Grand Central Moderns Gallery - New York City, NY. - 1949: Hart Gallery - Duluth, MN. - 1950: Ed Weiner Gallery - Provincetown, MA. - 1954: University of Minnesota - Duluth, MN. - 1955: Shorter College - Rome, GA. - 1957: University of Georgia - Athens, GA. - 1960: Dayton Art Institute - Dayton, OH - 1961: State College of Iowa (the University of Northern Iowa) - Cedar Falls, IA. - 1962: Cornell University - Ithaca, NY; Antioch College - Yellow Springs, OH. - 1967: Academy of Fine Arts - Lynchburg, VA. - 19731974: George Morrison: Drawings, traveling exhibition: Walker Art Center - Minneapolis, MN; Heard Museum - Phoenix, AZ; Art Museum of South Texas - Corpus Christi, TX; Amon Carter Museum of Western Art (now known as the Amon Carter Museum of American Art) - Fort Worth, TX. - 1976: Minneapolis Institute of Arts - Minneapolis, MN; Bethel College - Saint Paul, MN. - 1978: Macalester College - Saint Paul, MN; University of WisconsinStout - Menomonie, WI; Carl N. Gorman Museum, University of California - Davis, CA. - 1983: University of Minnesota - University Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN. - 1984: "George Morrison: Paper Collages," Tweed Museum of Art - University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN. - 19871988: "Horizon: Small Painting Series 1980-87," Minnesota Museum of American Art - St. Paul, MN = 1990: "Standing in the Northern Lights: George Morrison, A retrospective," circ., Tweed Museum of Art - University of Minnesota, Duluth and the Minnesota Museum of Art, St Paul, MN. - 1998: "Morrison's Horizon," Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program, Minneapolis, MN. - 2010: "From the Minnesota Museum of American Art", Bockley Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota. - 20132014: Modern Spirit: The Art of George Morrison, traveling solo retrospective curated by the Minnesota Museum of American Art - Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND; National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center; Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art; Heard Museum; Minnesota History Center. ~ . Detailed condition reports are not included in this catalog. For additional information, including condition reports, please contact us at info@sofedesignauctions.com. 753.
Sofe Design Auctions
Mar. 20, 2024
George Morrison Figural Mixed Media on Paper 1946
Est: $5,000 - $10,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Mixed media on paper painting depicting an abstracted figure in blue, red, yellow, and black, 1946. Pencil signed and dated along the lower right. Provenance: Private Minnesota Collection. Reference: "Modern Spirit: The Art of George Morrison," Minnesota Museum of American Art, 2013. A very similar work is illustrated in this exhibition (plate 5, pg. 68), depicting three figures. Lot Essay: Regarded as the founding figure of Native American modernism and among the top American abstract expressionist painters is George Morrison. Also highly regarded as a master collage artist, he assembled large collages of found driftwood and woodcut in framed, puzzle-like forms. In the 1940s, he was formally trained at the Minneapolis College of Art and in the 1950s at the Art Students League in New York before receiving a Fulbright to study in France. Taking his place as part of the modern art movement in New York in the 1950s after World War II, he was friends with Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, regularly exhibiting with de Kooning, Philip Guston, Hans Hofmann, and Franz Kline. Morrison helped bring the New York Modern Art movement to Minnesota, where he was based and worked with pure form via Abstract Expressionism. Later in his career, in the mid-1970s, Morrison shifted to a new theme and started to really explore his heritage when he and his family built a home with an art studio on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation on Lake Superior, naming it Red Rock. Rather than portraying an overt depiction of identity, Morrison was in the process of exploring his identity so he looked to nature, stating "in this search for my own identity, I seek the power of the rock, the magic of the water, the religion of the tree, the color of the wind and the enigma of the horizon." Translating nature into paintings was Morrison's way to navigate learning and absorption, and in turn produce self-expression. His token theme was the horizon, taking on dynamic form as colors or shapes in the eternal motion of nature. His inspiration was provided by Lake Superior, observing and documenting the temporary sight of the revered sky meeting landscape that he beheld in the moment. His artworks are spotted today in the collections of the Heard Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Whitney Museum of American Art, US National Gallery of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Walker Art Center. In 1997 he was honored in a ceremony at the White House when his work was included in the Twentieth Century American Sculpture at The White House: Honoring Native Americans exhibition. In 1999 Morrison was honored as inaugural Master Artist in the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis.
Revere Auctions
Mar. 20, 2024
George Morrison Woodgrain Woodcut 1976-78
Est: $3,000 - $6,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Woodcut on paper depicting an intricate pattern of contrasting woodgrains in gold metallic ink, 1976-78. Pencil signed and dated along the lower right; numbered P.P. 1/4 along the lower left; Vermillion Editions Limited blindstamp along the lower left. Provenance: Private Minnesota Collection. Lot Essay: Regarded as the founding figure of Native American modernism and among the top American abstract expressionist painters is George Morrison. Also highly regarded as a master collage artist, he assembled large collages of found driftwood and woodcut in framed, puzzle-like forms. In the 1940s, he was formally trained at the Minneapolis College of Art and in the 1950s at the Art Students League in New York before receiving a Fulbright to study in France. Taking his place as part of the modern art movement in New York in the 1950s after World War II, he was friends with Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, regularly exhibiting with de Kooning, Philip Guston, Hans Hofmann, and Franz Kline. Morrison helped bring the New York Modern Art movement to Minnesota, where he was based and worked with pure form via Abstract Expressionism. Later in his career, in the mid-1970s, Morrison shifted to a new theme and started to really explore his heritage when he and his family built a home with an art studio on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation on Lake Superior, naming it Red Rock. Rather than portraying an overt depiction of identity, Morrison was in the process of exploring his identity so he looked to nature, stating "in this search for my own identity, I seek the power of the rock, the magic of the water, the religion of the tree, the color of the wind and the enigma of the horizon." Translating nature into paintings was Morrison's way to navigate learning and absorption, and in turn produce self-expression. His token theme was the horizon, taking on dynamic form as colors or shapes in the eternal motion of nature. His inspiration was provided by Lake Superior, observing and documenting the temporary sight of the revered sky meeting landscape that he beheld in the moment. His artworks are spotted today in the collections of the Heard Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Whitney Museum of American Art, US National Gallery of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Walker Art Center. In 1997 he was honored in a ceremony at the White House when his work was included in the Twentieth Century American Sculpture at The White House: Honoring Native Americans exhibition. In 1999 Morrison was honored as inaugural Master Artist in the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis.
Revere Auctions
Mar. 20, 2024
George Morrison "Surrealist Landscape" Lithograph
Est: $3,000 - $6,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Color lithograph on Japan paper titled "Surrealist Landscape" depicting a horizon in vibrant colors, 1990-96. The colors fit together perfectly, as if pieces of a puzzle, to form a colorful whole. Pencil signed and dated along the lower right; numbered CTP 10/22 along the lower center; titled along the lower left. Provenance: Private Minnesota Collection. Lot Essay: Regarded as the founding figure of Native American modernism and among the top American abstract expressionist painters is George Morrison. Also highly regarded as a master collage artist, he assembled large collages of found driftwood and woodcut in framed, puzzle-like forms. In the 1940s, he was formally trained at the Minneapolis College of Art and in the 1950s at the Art Students League in New York before receiving a Fulbright to study in France. Taking his place as part of the modern art movement in New York in the 1950s after World War II, he was friends with Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, regularly exhibiting with de Kooning, Philip Guston, Hans Hofmann, and Franz Kline. Morrison helped bring the New York Modern Art movement to Minnesota, where he was based and worked with pure form via Abstract Expressionism. Later in his career, in the mid-1970s, Morrison shifted to a new theme and started to really explore his heritage when he and his family built a home with an art studio on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation on Lake Superior, naming it Red Rock. Rather than portraying an overt depiction of identity, Morrison was in the process of exploring his identity so he looked to nature, stating "in this search for my own identity, I seek the power of the rock, the magic of the water, the religion of the tree, the color of the wind and the enigma of the horizon." Translating nature into paintings was Morrison's way to navigate learning and absorption, and in turn produce self-expression. His token theme was the horizon, taking on dynamic form as colors or shapes in the eternal motion of nature. His inspiration was provided by Lake Superior, observing and documenting the temporary sight of the revered sky meeting landscape that he beheld in the moment. His artworks are spotted today in the collections of the Heard Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Whitney Museum of American Art, US National Gallery of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Walker Art Center. In 1997 he was honored in a ceremony at the White House when his work was included in the Twentieth Century American Sculpture at The White House: Honoring Native Americans exhibition. In 1999 Morrison was honored as inaugural Master Artist in the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis.
Revere Auctions
Mar. 20, 2024
George Morrison Pen and Ink Line Drawing 1972
Est: $6,000 - $12,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Black ink on Strathmore paper depicting a horizon comprised of thousands of lines, 1972. A thread of lines runs through the center of the composition - connecting the upper and lower halves of the drawing - creating a continuous weaving passage. Signed and dated along the lower left. A tag from the Walker Art Center is affixed to the verso. Provenance: Private Minnesota Collection. Exhibition: George Morrison Drawings Dates: 15 April - 27 May 1973; Heard Museum Phoenix, Dates: 23 June - 5 August 1973; Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Fort Worth Dates: 10 November - 5 January 1974. Lot Essay: Regarded as the founding figure of Native American modernism and among the top American abstract expressionist painters is George Morrison. Also highly regarded as a master collage artist, he assembled large collages of found driftwood and woodcut in framed, puzzle-like forms. In the 1940s, he was formally trained at the Minneapolis College of Art and in the 1950s at the Art Students League in New York before receiving a Fulbright to study in France. Taking his place as part of the modern art movement in New York in the 1950s after World War II, he was friends with Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, regularly exhibiting with de Kooning, Philip Guston, Hans Hofmann, and Franz Kline. Morrison helped bring the New York Modern Art movement to Minnesota, where he was based and worked with pure form via Abstract Expressionism. Later in his career, in the mid-1970s, Morrison shifted to a new theme and started to really explore his heritage when he and his family built a home with an art studio on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation on Lake Superior, naming it Red Rock. Rather than portraying an overt depiction of identity, Morrison was in the process of exploring his identity so he looked to nature, stating "in this search for my own identity, I seek the power of the rock, the magic of the water, the religion of the tree, the color of the wind and the enigma of the horizon." Translating nature into paintings was Morrison's way to navigate learning and absorption, and in turn produce self-expression. His token theme was the horizon, taking on dynamic form as colors or shapes in the eternal motion of nature. His inspiration was provided by Lake Superior, observing and documenting the temporary sight of the revered sky meeting landscape that he beheld in the moment. In an interview with Philip Larson conducted for the 1973 Walker exhibition Morrison stated that these drawings were "laid out with precise straight and curved lines, all the same distance apart, and the whole surface is evenly textured. There is an effect of shallow cubist depth made with overlapping lines, and a sense of indefinite space extending outwards from all four sides...I sometimes deliberately create a passage going up diagonally from the bottom left to top right. That it is going through is very obvious - a passage of lines that becomes immersed in other lines, weaving in and out." This ink weaving is clearly evident with the central vertical passage in this work, creating a connection between the top quarter of the painting into the lower half.
Revere Auctions
Feb. 27, 2024
George Morrison, 1919-2000 (USA/France)
Est: £6,000 - £12,000
George Morrison (1919-2000). 1962. Oil on canvas, size 76 x 63 cm (30 x 24 3/4 inches). Frame dimensions 87 x 74 cm (34 1/4 x 29 1/4 inches). Signed and dated lower right. ("I like the so-called magical surface of a painting, the marks the painter makes". George Morrison was born on the Grand Portage Ojibwa Reservation in northern Minnesota and earned a scholarship to study commercial art in Minneapolis. He graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, went to New York City to the Art Students League, and then to Paris on a Fulbright Scholarship. His training was in traditional art but in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he became established as an Abstract Expressionist and "for year was better known outside Native American art circles than within". (375-Lester). For 20 years he lived in New York and also taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, but returned to Minnesota in 1970. There he founded the Indian Studies Program at the University of Minnesota and was a professor of art until 1983. After that, he moved to the North Shore of Lake Superior until his death. He became the first artist honored with the Eiteljorg Fellowship for Native American Fine Art from the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana, and in 1992, the Tweed Museum at the University of Minnesota in Duluth and the Minnesota Museum of American Art in St. Paul gave him a retrospective exhibition. In 2003, a solo exhibition is planned at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. Source: Marika Herskovic, Editor, American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s).
Cultural Traditions
Feb. 08, 2024
George Morrison (American, 1919-2000), Untitled
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
George Morrison (American, 1919-2000), Untitled Signed and dated 1953 bottom center, pen and mixed media on paper. 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (24.1 x 19.1cm) Provenance Private Collection, Pennsylvania.
Freeman's | Hindman
Nov. 15, 2023
George Morrison "Mirrored Image" Gouache 1956
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Gouache paper titled "Mirrored Image" depicting an abstracted layered landscape in rich yellows and oranges with hints of green, 1956. Signed and dated along the lower left; titled along the left margin behind the mat. With a label from The Contemporary Arts Center of the Cincinnati Art Museum affixed to the verso which titles the work as "Autumn Landscape." Lot Essay: Regarded as the founding figure of Native American modernism and among the top American abstract expressionist painters is George Morrison. Also highly regarded as a master collage artist, he assembled large collages of found driftwood and woodcut in framed, puzzle-like forms. In the 1940s, he was formally trained at the Minneapolis College of Art and in the 1950s at the Art Students League in New York before receiving a Fulbright to study in France. Taking his place as part of the modern art movement in New York in the 1950s after World War II, he was friends with Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, regularly exhibiting with de Kooning, Philip Guston, Hans Hofmann, and Franz Kline. Morrison helped bring the New York Modern Art movement to Minnesota, where he was based and worked with pure form via Abstract Expressionism. Later in his career, in the mid-1970s, Morrison shifted to a new theme and started to really explore his heritage when he and his family built a home with an art studio on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation on Lake Superior, naming it Red Rock. Rather than portraying an overt depiction of identity, Morrison was in the process of exploring his identity so he looked to nature, stating "in this search for my own identity, I seek the power of the rock, the magic of the water, the religion of the tree, the color of the wind and the enigma of the horizon." Translating nature into paintings was Morrison's way to navigate learning and absorption, and in turn produce self-expression. His token theme was the horizon, taking on dynamic form as colors or shapes in the eternal motion of nature. His inspiration was provided by Lake Superior, observing and documenting the temporary sight of the revered sky meeting landscape that he beheld in the moment. His artworks are spotted today in the collections of the Heard Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Whitney Museum of American Art, US National Gallery of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Walker Art Center. In 1997 he was honored in a ceremony at the White House when his work was included in the Twentieth Century American Sculpture at The White House: Honoring Native Americans exhibition. In 1999 Morrison was honored as inaugural Master Artist in the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis.
Revere Auctions
Nov. 15, 2023
George Morrison "Red Rock Variation" Painting 1993
Est: $15,000 - $30,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Acrylic on canvas on board titled "Dappled Light Shadows (Red Rock Variation: Lake Superior Landscape)" depicting a deep red and purple sunset on Lake Superior, 1993. Signed, dated, and titled along the verso. Housed in a frame custom built by Morrison. Lot Essay: Regarded as the founding figure of Native American modernism and among the top American abstract expressionist painters is George Morrison. Also highly regarded as a master collage artist, he assembled large collages of found driftwood and woodcut in framed, puzzle-like forms. In the 1940s, he was formally trained at the Minneapolis College of Art and in the 1950s at the Art Students League in New York before receiving a Fulbright to study in France. Taking his place as part of the modern art movement in New York in the 1950s after World War II, he was friends with Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, regularly exhibiting with de Kooning, Philip Guston, Hans Hofmann, and Franz Kline. Morrison helped bring the New York Modern Art movement to Minnesota, where he was based and worked with pure form via Abstract Expressionism. Later in his career, in the mid-1970s, Morrison shifted to a new theme and started to really explore his heritage when he and his family built a home with an art studio on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation on Lake Superior, naming it Red Rock. Rather than portraying an overt depiction of identity, Morrison was in the process of exploring his identity so he looked to nature, stating "in this search for my own identity, I seek the power of the rock, the magic of the water, the religion of the tree, the color of the wind and the enigma of the horizon." Translating nature into paintings was Morrison's way to navigate learning and absorption, and in turn produce self-expression. His token theme was the horizon, taking on dynamic form as colors or shapes in the eternal motion of nature. His inspiration was provided by Lake Superior, observing and documenting the temporary sight of the revered sky meeting landscape that he beheld in the moment. His artworks are spotted today in the collections of the Heard Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Whitney Museum of American Art, US National Gallery of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Walker Art Center. In 1997 he was honored in a ceremony at the White House when his work was included in the Twentieth Century American Sculpture at The White House: Honoring Native Americans exhibition. In 1999 Morrison was honored as inaugural Master Artist in the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis.
Revere Auctions
Oct. 22, 2023
George Morrison "Heal" Oil on Canvas, 1957
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
George Morrison (American, 1919-2000) "Heal" or "Defractional" oil painting on canvas depicting a polychrome abstract landscape beneath a vibrant red sun, dated and signed lower right, Grand Central Art Galleries stamp and label with an Art Lending Services of the Museum of Modern Art label to verso, housed in a wood frame. Image: 11.5" H x 17.25" W; frame: 18.5" H x 24" W. Provenance: From a Brooklyn townhouse.
Auctions at Showplace
Sep. 14, 2023
Painting, George Morrison
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
George Morrison (American, 1919-2000), "Night Shadows. Red Rock Variation. Lake Superior Landscape," 1994, acrylic on canvas board, titled and signed verso, image: 5"h x 14"w, overall (with frame): 7.75"h x 16.5"w. Provenance: Purchased in 1995. This work was executed in 1995 at Morrison's studio on Lake Superior on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation. It was one of several paintings and drawings from his "Horizon Series" exhibited in the show "Legend and Legacy," at the Carolyn Ruff Gallery, Minneapolis, MN (September 7 - October 14, 1995)
Clars Auctions
Sep. 13, 2023
George Morrison "Mountainside" Landscape Drawing
Est: $3,000 - $6,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Ink on paper drawing titled "Mountainside" depicting a New Mexico landscape, 1982. Signed and dated along the lower left. Inscribed along a piece of paper affixed to the verso "Western Landscape - 'Mountainside' - Imaginative Drawing- Frottage Technique-Chimayo, New Mexico - Dec. 23, 1982."
Revere Auctions
May. 17, 2023
George Morrison "Rudquist Fragment" Collage
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Paper collage titled "Conversation: Rudquist Fragment," depicting a fragment collage referring to Jerry Rudquist (American, 1934-2001), ca. 1982. Titled and signed along a fragment of notecard affixed to the verso. Provenance: Distinguished Corporate Collection, Minnesota.
Revere Auctions
May. 17, 2023
George Morrison "Landscape" Mixed Media 1953
Est: $2,000 - $4,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Mixed media artwork on Strathmore paper titled "Landscape" depicting an abstracted layered landscape, 1953. Signed and dated along the lower center. There is an unfinished still life painting along the verso. This work is featured in the autobiography of the artist's life: it is photographed along with Morrison's mother at an exhibition of his work in the 1950s. Literature: George Morrison as told to Margot Fortunato Galt, "Turning the Feather Around: My Life in Art," Minnesota Historical Society Press (St. Paul: 1998), page 103. Provenance: Mutual Service Insurance (MSI) corporate collection, Minnesota; Collection of Gordon Lindquist, Minnesota; Private Minnesota Collection.
Revere Auctions
May. 17, 2023
George Morrison J.P. Riopelle Fragment Collage
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Paper collage titled "Phanariot Night Remembered: Rioppelle Fragment" referencing the artist's relationship to Jean-Paul Riopelle (Canadian, 1923-2002). The lower fragment resembles much of Riopelle's works. Titled along a card affixed to the verso of the work.
Revere Auctions
May. 17, 2023
George Morrison Jaune Quick-To-See Smith Collage
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Paper collage titled "Hot Town Round Up: J. Quick To See Smith," depicting a fragment collage referencing his relationship to Jaune Quick-To-See Smith (Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Indian Nation, b. 1940), 1982. Titled and with a plan of the artwork along a fragment of notecard affixed to the verso. Pencil signed and dated along the lower left. Provenance: Distinguished Corporate Collection, Minnesota.
Revere Auctions
May. 17, 2023
George Morrison Gold Ink Woodcut 1978
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Woodcut on paper depicting an intricate pattern of contrasting woodgrains in gold ink, 1976-78. Pencil signed and dated along the lower right; numbered P.P. 2/4 along the lower left. Provenance: Distinguished Corporate Collection, Minnesota.
Revere Auctions
May. 17, 2023
George Morrison "Descent on the Avenue" Painting
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Oil on canvas painting titled "Descent on the Avenue" depicting an abstract scene painted with thick and vivid colors harmoniously dancing along the surface of the canvas, 1962. Signed and dated along the lower right. Further signed and titled along the verso. Provenance: Freeman Fine Arts, "Jewelry - Furniture & Decorative Arts - Paintings - Prints & Sculpture," February 14, 2011, Lot 1280, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Private Minnesota Collection. As described on page 101 of his memoir "Turning the Feather Around" by Morrison: "I went through a period of using thick paint, starting from the late 50's all through the 60's. This gave more immediacy to the painting. Putting the paint on without thinning it with oil, using acrylic paint without any water added.. Putting it thick on the brush and then on the canvas with broad strokes, showing the thickness and movement of the pigment. Some of the paints right out of the tube...This was my version of gestural painting...Movement of the paint became an integral part of the idea of the painting....the artist was more conscious of the paint itself, and that became the painting."
Revere Auctions
May. 17, 2023
George Morrison Painting Still Life with Pipe 1949
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Oil on canvas still life of a pipe on a chair, 1949. Signed and dated along the upper right. With numerous pencil inscriptions along the verso of the frame.
Revere Auctions
Apr. 15, 2023
AMERICAN ABSTRACT OIL PAINTING BY GEORGE MORRISON
Est: $100 - $150
Oil on canvas painting by George Morrison, 1919 to 2000, a Native American landscape artist and sculptor. The artwork is an abstract composition in green, blue, and red. Signed by the artist and dated 1980 in the lower right. Titled Eagle Mountain on the backside. Collectible Contemporary American Fine Art.
Antique Arena Inc
Mar. 18, 2023
George Morrison, Minnesota (1919-2000), Red Rock Rising, 1977, paper collage
Est: $800 - $1,200
George Morrison Minnesota, (1919-2000) Red Rock Rising, 1977 paper collage signed and dated in pencil lower right, framed. A plaque attached to the verso describes the artist's intention. This exciting brilliantly-colored paper collage created with horizontal stripes and hundreds of nuanced hues from a large rectangular piece of hand-made marbled paper relates to a brilliant sunrise in Red Rock, Minnesota. Morrison was born there, on the Grand Portage Reservation, into the Minnesota Chippewa tribe, and his work is closely related to his Native heritage and the natural world around him. In this collage, his choice of layered colors could be interpreted as a landscape that includes a darker sky, several areas of land, and many waters in movement. A statement from Morrison's autobiography clarifies his inspirational relationship with nature: "I seek the power of the rock, the magic of the water, the religion of the tree, the color of the wind, and the enigma of the horizon." His Ojibwe (Chippewa) name chosen for him at birth was Wah Wah The Go Nay Ga Bo, meaning "Standing in the Northern Lights." Morrison was thus destined to see and explore the world from a special Northerly place...and here he has siphoned some of that natural power, magic, religion, color and enigma all into one piece.
Link Auction Galleries
Jan. 25, 2023
George Morrison "Elegy: Kline Fragment" Collage
Est: $800 - $1,200
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Paper collage titled "Elegy for a Bituminous Angel: Kline Fragment," referring to Franz Kline (American, 1910-1962) with whom he exhibited his works while in New York City, 1982. Signed and titled along a fragment of notecard affixed to the verso. Provenance: Distinguished Corporate Collection, Minnesota.
Revere Auctions
Jan. 25, 2023
George Morrison "Stuart Nielsen" Fragment Collage
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Paper collage titled "Stuart Nielsen," depicting a fragment collage referring to Stuart Nielsen (American, b. 1947), 1982. Titled and with a plan of the work along a fragment of notecard affixed to the verso. Provenance: Distinguished Corporate Collection, Minnesota.
Revere Auctions
Jan. 25, 2023
George Morrison Ink & Watercolor Automatic Drawing
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Ink and watercolor drawing on paper of a surrealist landscape created from automatic drawing techniques, 1956. Signed in two spots along the upper and lower edges of the drawing and dated along the lower edge.
Revere Auctions
Jan. 25, 2023
George Morrison "Arterial Structure" Painting
Est: $2,000 - $4,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Abstract ink and watercolor painting on paper titled "Arterial Structure." Signed, inscribed "Antibes," and dated January 1953 along the lower margin. Further signed and titled in pen along the backing. Inscribed "Purchased May 1955 at Walker Art Gallery, Minneapolis, Minn" in red pen along the backing. Provenance: The artist sold this work at the Walker Art Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Private Minnesota Collection. After completing his studies at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, Morrison moved his family to the Mediterranean resort town of Antibes along the French Riviera. He often frequented Cap d'Antibes, a rugged forested peninsula that inspired numerous works including the example offered here. Utilizing the "automatic" or free-association drawing techniques of the Surrealists he produced a web-like pattern of interlacing lines and shapes that resembled the rocky outcroppings of the cape's coast.
Revere Auctions
Dec. 04, 2022
George Morrison Abstract Oil on Board, 1950
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
George Morrison (American, 1919-2000) abstract oil on masonite, signed to lower left, circa 1950, housed in a cerused wood frame. Image: 6.75" H x 6.75" W; frame: 10.25" H x 10.25" W.
Auctions at Showplace
Dec. 03, 2022
George Morrison Untitled Sepia 1987 Signed Lithograph
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
Morrison, George (Native American/Ojibwe, 1919-2000), Untitled (Sepia), 1987, lithograph on heavy wove paper, signed, dated and numbered 5/30 in pencil at bottom, image 22 x 68 inches, full sheet 25.5 x 72.25 inches, unframed, published by Vermillion Editions Limited, Minneapolis, with their blindstamp to upper right corner.
Concept Art Gallery
Dec. 03, 2022
George Morrison Untitled Black 1987 Signed Lithograph
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
Morrison, George (Native American/Ojibwe, 1919-2000), Untitled (Black), 1987, lithograph on heavy wove paper, signed, dated and numbered 1/30 in pencil at bottom, image 22 x 68 inches, full sheet 25.5 x 72.25 inches, unframed, published by Vermillion Editions Limited, Minneapolis, with their blindstamp to upper right corner.
Concept Art Gallery
Oct. 01, 2022
George Morrison Untitled Sepia 1987 Signed Lithograph
Est: $800 - $1,500
Morrison, George (Native American/Ojibwe, 1919-2000), Untitled (Sepia), 1987, lithograph on heavy wove paper, signed, dated and numbered 7/30 in pencil at bottom, image 22 x 68 inches, full sheet 25.5 x 72.25 inches, unframed, published by Vermillion Editions Limited, Minneapolis, with their blindstamp to upper right corner.
Concept Art Gallery
Oct. 01, 2022
George Morrison Untitled Black 1987 Signed Lithograph
Est: $800 - $1,500
Morrison, George (Native American/Ojibwe, 1919-2000), Untitled (Black), 1987, lithograph on heavy wove paper, signed, dated and numbered 5/30 in pencil at bottom, image 22 x 68 inches, full sheet 25.5 x 72.25 inches, unframed, published by Vermillion Editions Limited, Minneapolis, with their blindstamp to upper right corner.
Concept Art Gallery
Sep. 28, 2022
George Morrison Abstract Painting 1964
Est: $2,000 - $4,000
George Morrison (Ojibwe, 1919-2000). Abstract oil on board painting depicting sailboats. Signed and dated 1964 along the upper right. With a partial certificate of authenticity affixed to the verso.
Revere Auctions
Apr. 27, 2022
George Morrison Gouache on Paper
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
George Morrison (American (Anishinaabe), 1919-2000). Abstract composition in gouache on paper, with textured radiating stripes in red and orange on a pale yellow background. Signed and dated 1959 along the lower left.
Revere Auctions
Apr. 27, 2022
George Morrison Oil on Canvas Still Life
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
George Morrison (American (Ojibwe), 1919-2000). Still life in oil on canvas depicting two apples, corn, a vase of flowers, an empty bottle, a mirror, and a basket gathered on a table. Signed along the lower right.
Revere Auctions
Apr. 27, 2022
Grp: 2 George Morrison Prints
Est: $100 - $200
George Morrison (American (Anishinaabe), 1919-2000). Group of two abstract prints on paper. The print on pink paper is signed in plate along the lower left edge of the composition and further pencil signed and dated 1958 along the lower left of the sheet. The print on white paper is signed in plate and dated 1960.
Revere Auctions
Apr. 23, 2022
George Morrison Mixed Media Abstract Mosaic 1960
Est: $800 - $1,500
Morrison, George (Native American/Ojibwe, 1919-2000), Untitled Abstract Mosaic, 1960, dyed plaster and wood mounted and glued to board, signed and dated lower left, 11.25 x 15 inches, floated in a wood frame 18 x 21.5 inches. A rare small mosaic, perhaps a study for one of his large outdoor stone mosaics.
Concept Art Gallery