Lot 2: Bertram Charles (B.C.) Binning 1909 - 1976

Bertram Charles (B.C.) Binning 1909 - 1976 Canadian oil on board Two Ships with Orange Sun 13 1/4 x 12 inches 33.7 x 30.5 centimeters signed and on verso titled on the artist's label and inscribed ""$60"" on the exhibition label Literature:Do You Own a Canadian Painting?, Vancouver Art Gallery, Women's Auxiliary, 1951, listed page 1, for $60 Provenance:Collection of the Artist Women's Auxiliary, Fourth Annual Sale and Exhibition, Vancouver Art Gallery, 1951 Acquired by Mrs. L. Hopen from the above exhibition deVooght Galleries Ltd., Vancouver Private Collection, Vancouver Exhibited:Vancouver Art Gallery, Fourth Annual Sale and Exhibition of Contemporary Paintings, organized by the Women's Auxiliary, Do You Own a Canadian Painting?, 1951 This vibrant B.C. Binning painting was acquired from the Women's Auxiliary at the Vancouver Art Gallery, whose yearly sales / exhibitions were organized with the intent of encouraging collectors to bring Canadian art into their homes. Binning was a pioneer West Coast modernist, involved in all aspects of the arts. He was the head of the Fine Arts Department at UBC, an architect, an artist and an arts advocate. Primarily a draughtsman in his early career, Binning depicted West Coast life in his drawings. In 1948, he began to paint predominantly in oil; his subjects were ships and the sea, perhaps inspired by his own sailboat, which he named Skookumchuck. By 1950, Binning had developed a semi-abstract style that still relied on his nautical subjects. Massive architectural forms of ships at anchor dominated his works from this period. This whimsical painting with two large pared-down boats bobbing under the vibrant orange sun is a superb example of Binning's work from this highly sought-after era.