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Features / September 1, 2016

Why This Jennifer Murphy Artwork Is Bill Clarke’s Top Auction Pick

Jennifer Murphy’s delicate collages of animals, birds and plants remind us that every living thing on this planet is dependent on the life of another.
Jennifer Murphy's  delicate collage <em>Rabbit</em> (2015) is up for auction at Canadian Art's 21st annual gala. Courtesy the artist and Clint Roenisch Gallery, Toronto. Jennifer Murphy's delicate collage Rabbit (2015) is up for auction at Canadian Art's 21st annual gala. Courtesy the artist and Clint Roenisch Gallery, Toronto.

The Canadian Art Foundation auction takes place during our 21st annual gala on September 22. In anticipation, we asked members of our art-advisory committee to select their favourite works on the auction block. We’ll be publishing their selections periodically leading up to our auction preview on September 15, when all of the works will be on view at Waddingtons.

Top Pick for collector and past art selection committee chair Bill Clarke: Jennifer Murphy, Rabbit, 2015

“Jennifer Murphy’s delicate collages, usually comprised of animals, birds, insects and plants, remind us that the existence of every living thing on this planet is dependent on the life of another. Thematically, binaries like predator and prey, life and death, natural and artificial, beauty and decay, attraction and repulsion come into play in her work. Visually, a piece like Rabbit displays Murphy’s ability to seamlessly combine texture and colour; look closely at how the browns in the moth’s wing give the illusion of looking through them to the fur and feathers underneath. Murphy is an artist who responds as sensitively to her materials as to the world around her. ”

Visit canadianart.ca/gala2016 for information on gala tickets, and to view our full auction catalogue.