Sold for: $67,250

PROVENANCE
A gift from the Artist
By descent to the present Private Collection, USA

Filled with authentic and loving details, this commissioned painting tells the story of a family in the middle of a birthday celebration. The party is for Grandpa, as indicated by the Cyrillic word on the cake in the lower right, which, pronounced DEE-doh, means “grandfather” in Ukrainian. Three generations are present, in a scene of light-hearted joy. At the head of the table, two cousins excitedly present their grandfather with a birdhouse. Unfortunately, they did not know how to build a birdhouse. So instead of building it themselves, they had their grandfather build it for them, after which they wrapped and presented it to him, to everyone’s enjoyment.

This commission came about from relationships with both William Kurelek and Avrom Isaacs, owner of the renowned Isaacs Gallery in Toronto. Isaacs represented Kurelek as an artist and also employed him as a framer. After repeated visits to the gallery, the commissioner of the work and Kurelek, who shared a working-class Ukrainian Canadian background, became friends. This work that resulted from their friendship shows Kurelek’s gifts for expressing not only the complexity and resiliency of the Ukrainian Canadian experience but also its joys.

This work is in the original frame made by the artist.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars

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