29 Facts About Daphne Odjig

Daphne Odjig's paintings are often characterized as Woodlands Style or as the pictographic style.

Daphne Odjig was the driving force behind the Professional Native Indian Artists Association, colloquially known as the Indian Group of Seven, a group considered a pioneer in bringing First Nations art to the forefront of Canada's art world.

Daphne Odjig received a number of awards for her work, including the Order of Canada, the Governor General's Award and five honorary doctorates.

Daphne Odjig was the eldest of four children; her siblings are Stanley, Winnifred and Donavan.

Daphne Odjig was descended on her father's side from the great Potawatomi Chief Black Partridge.

When Daphne Odjig was 13 years old, she suffered rheumatic fever and had to leave school.

Daphne Odjig once stated that "Art was always a part of our lives".

Daphne Odjig moved to Parry Sound, Ontario, and then at the outbreak of World War II, she moved to Toronto for job opportunities.

Daphne Odjig worked in factories and in her spare time explored art galleries such as the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Daphne Odjig was particularly influenced by her first experiences of cubist art by artists such as Picasso.

In 1945, after World War II, Daphne Odjig moved to British Columbia.

Daphne Odjig was concerned over the potential loss of traditional ways of living, and hoped that by preserving images of the people and their daily life in art, they could survive.

In 1973, Daphne Odjig founded the Professional Native Indian Artists Association, along with Alex Janvier and Norval Morrisseau.

Also in 1973, Daphne Odjig received a Brucebo Foundation Scholarship and spent six months on the island of Gotland, Sweden, as a resident artist.

Daphne Odjig developed a style of her own which fused together elements of aboriginal pictographs and First Nations arts with European techniques and styles of the 20th century.

Daphne Odjig explored erotic themes in some of her paintings; for example, in 1974, Odjig illustrated Tales from the Smokehouse, a collection of traditional First Nations erotica written by Herbert T Schwarz.

Daphne Odjig emphasized the contemporary experience of Native Americans in Canada.

Daphne Odjig's work is included in such public collections as Canada Council's Art Bank, the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, the Tom Thomson Art Gallery, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, the Sequoyah Research Center and the Government of Israel.

Daphne Odjig was commissioned to create art by Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan, the Manitoba Museum, and for El Al, the Israeli airline.

Daphne Odjig has been the subject of books and at least three documentaries.

Daphne Odjig was the recipient of a wide range of honors, including an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Laurentian University in 1982, and an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Toronto in 1985, the Order of Canada in 1986, a Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada in 1992, an Honorary Doctorate of Education from Nipissing University in 1997, and a National Aboriginal Achievement Awards in 1998.

Daphne Odjig was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Art in 1989.

In 2007, Daphne Odjig received the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts.

Daphne Odjig received the Eagle Feather by Chief Wakageshigon for her artistic achievement.

Daphne Odjig traveled extensively and exhibited in Canada, the United States, Belgium, Yugoslavia and Japan.

Daphne Odjig had over 30 solo exhibitions and was part of over 50 group exhibits during her career.

Daphne Odjig met Paul Somerville while she was working in Toronto, and they married and moved to British Columbia together.

In 1962 Daphne Odjig married Chester Beavon, a community development worker for the Department of Native Affairs, and the family moved to Manitoba.

Daphne Odjig died on 1 October 2016 in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.