Lot 52: Jean-Philippe Dallaire 1916 - 1965 Canadian oil on

Jean-Philippe Dallaire 1916 - 1965 Canadian oil on canvas Le fonctionnaire 34 x 26 inches 86.3 x 66 centimeters signed, titled and dated 1957 and on verso signed, titled, dated 13 Sept. 1957 and inscribed ""Ville St-Laurent, P. Qué., Canada"" Provenance:Galerie Camille Hébert, Montreal A Prominent Montreal Family Estate Jean-Philippe Dallaire worked in a variety of styles, drawing on elements of Cubism and Surrealism, and often used humour and caricature in his work. His palette, like his style, was equally wide-ranging. In this brilliantly-hued portrait of an official, Dallaire exaggerates the official's hat and gives him a ridiculous moustache. The gaudily-painted uniform seems more costume-like than official, and the fact that Dallaire shows him holding a bouquet distracts from and undermines his role as a member of the bureaucracy. Dallaire often commented in a humorous, tongue-in-cheek manner on politics and French society in his works, using riotous colours and a fine painting technique that allowed his many layers of careful underpainting to show through one another. The official's clownlike face and wavering figure contribute to the comment that Dallaire is making on authority, officials and societal relationships.