Norval Morrisseau

Norval Morrisseau - Ojibwa Artist (1931-2007)

Norval Morrisseau described himself as a "born artist" who had a compulsion to draw from his earliest memories. He was a prolific artist and published author who was also a cornerstone to the art movement considered the Woodland School of Art. He received international acclaim for his art and was dubbed the "Picasso of the North" by world renowned artist Marc Chagall who, together with Pablo Picasso, attended a Morrisseau exhibit in 1969.

Morrisseau was the recipient of numerous honourary degrees, a membership in the Order of Canada, a membership in the Royal Academy of Arts, the Aboriginal Lifetime Achievement Award and was the first First Nations artist to have a solo exhibit in the National Gallery of Canada which now houses a permanent collection of his art. His work was also exhibited in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. In recognition of his talents and contributions to the Aboriginal community, he was awarded a Great Eagle Feather and was appointed the Grand Shaman by the Ojibwa.

Norval Morrisseau passed away in December 2007, but his legacy as a Canadian treasure survives.

"My art speaks and will continue to speak, transcending barriers of other forces that may be divisive, fortifying the greatness of the spirit that has always been the foundation of the Ojibwa people."