Norval Morrisseau masterwork not seen for 40 years unveiled at Thunder Bay Art Gallery
After four decades in storage, a monumental canvas by Ojibwe visionary Norval Morrisseau has been unrolled at Thunder Bay Art Gallery. The work, roughly 6.7 m by 3 m, is a rare example of his expansive Woodland Style, depicting a bustling gathering of people, animals and spiritual figures.
The painting, known as the Morrisseau Masterwork, arrived on loan from EA Studios Calgary. Conservators have mounted the rolled canvas on a specially designed stretcher with expandable joints, allowing the fragile surface to be displayed safely for the first time since 1986.
Curators see the piece as a bridge between Indigenous and non‑Indigenous audiences. Its vibrant narrative, rooted in stories passed down by Morrisseau’s own family, offers a visual celebration of community and the natural world, echoing the artist’s lifelong goal of cultural connection.
The exhibition runs through early January, inviting visitors to experience the scale and spirituality of a work that helped define contemporary Indigenous art in Canada. The gallery hopes the return of this epic canvas will spark renewed interest in Morrisseau’s early large‑format experiments.