Richard Bedwash (1936-2007) Anishinaabe Ojibwe Woo

Updated September 18, 2026

An unusually cohesive and highly collectible pair of 1977 limited-edition silkscreens by noted Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) Woodland School artist Richard Bedwash (1936-2007), comprising In Life XIX, numbered 285/300, and Brothers of Life XX, numbered 284/300. The pairing is particularly appealing in that the works represent consecutive subjects XIX and XX within Bedwash's Roman-numbered 1977 print series while also carrying adjacent edition numbers, 285/300 and 284/300 - a fortuitous relationship that gives the group considerably greater visual and collecting coherence than two unrelated examples. Both compositions are hand-signed "R. BEDWASH" at lower right, numbered in graphite at lower left, and inscribed with their respective Roman numerals beneath the image. Each sheet measures approximately 12 1/2" x 19". The titles, medium and 1977 date correspond with independently catalogued examples from the same editions.<br><br>Both works display the graphic power that makes Bedwash's imagery immediately recognizable within the Canadian Woodland tradition. Broad, assured black contours define highly stylized interconnected animal, bird and spirit-like forms, while areas of brilliant pink-magenta and earthy reddish brown animate the otherwise restrained white ground. In Life XIX presents a monumental enveloping form in close relationship with a smaller mammalian figure, its internal elements articulated through the characteristic "x-ray" vocabulary associated with Woodland visual storytelling. Brothers of Life XX brings avian and terrestrial forms into an exceptionally compact interrelationship, the figures visually joined through repeated contour, internal structure and colour. Viewed together, the prints create an unusually effective dialogue around kinship, interconnected life and the symbolic relationships between beings - themes central to Bedwash's broader artistic language. br&gt;<br>Born on Long Lac Reserve #58 in Ontario in 1936, Bedwash was immersed in Ojibwe teachings during his early childhood and later became closely associated with Norval Morrisseau, apprenticing with Morrisseau from 1966 to 1968 before developing his own distinctive interpretation of the Woodland idiom. The Art Gallery of Guelph notes that Bedwash drew upon traditional stories and oral histories as a means of preserving and communicating cultural knowledge through visual form. Significantly, 1977 was an important year in his artistic development: Judith Nasby, founding director of the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, now the Art Gallery of Guelph, began corresponding with Bedwash and commissioned a group of paintings that became the foundation of his first solo exhibition.<br><br>Bedwash's work has also received renewed institutional attention in recent years. The Art Gallery of Guelph mounted Yours in Native Spirit: Richard Bedwash in 2024, an exhibition devoted specifically to his life and work, while examples by the artist are represented in public institutional collections inc

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