NICHOLAS DE GRANDMAISON
(Canadian 1892-1978)

AVAILABLE WORKS

Grandmaison was born in Russia where he began his artistic endeavours as a child painting on the walls of his family home. Upon completing high school he served in the Russian Army for the duration of World War I. After the war he moved to England where he studied at the St. John’s Wood Art School in London, and for a while in Paris.

Grandmaison travelled to Canada in 1923, settling in Banff where his artistic expression flourished in both oils and pastels. He specialised in portraits of First Nation peoples and travelled to reservations both in Canada and the United States. Explaining his choice of subjects, Grandmaison made this statement, “…to me it is a great honour. I love them as fellow brothers. They have character, colour and history in their blood. I prefer to paint them.” He also painted portraits of prominent politicians, such as the Premier of Alberta, William Aberhart, and the former Prime Minister of Canada, R.B. Bennet. He is represented in the National Gallery of Canada and elsewhere. A number of private collectors own his works in Calgary.