Two Canadian art quilts from the 60s

Ah, Canadian art history! I was there (Vancouver; Montreal) in the 60s, discovering famous European artists in library books - not knowing that some wild stuff was going on right under my nose... The CBC's report of a retrospective (in 2005?) includes these two pieces by Joyce Weiland, and says:

'Wieland’s piece [1968] reflects an appreciation for the artistic potential of everyday objects. The text, of course, was [prime minister] Pierre Trudeau’s motto, a proverb he picked up during his Jesuit education. “After seeing his speech at the 1968 Liberal convention,” [National Gallery curator Denise] Leclerc explains, “Wieland found her inspiration.” As well as being a paean to Trudeau, the work reflects the second-wave feminism that was washing over a generation. Wieland took the process of quilting, a craft traditionally the domain of women – and something at which they had toiled in obscurity for so many years – and raised it to the lofty status of art. To Leclerc, the most interesting interpretation of the piece lies in its essential paradox: “Here you’re saying ‘reason over passion,’ but this is a bed we’re talking about.” '

(And rumour has it that Trudeau ripped the quilt during a domestic squabble.)

Canada being a bilingual country, there is of course a French version. 'Women’s lib, Trudeaumania, the transformation of an everyday item into art – that’s a lot of symbolism for one blanket. Still, Wieland managed to deliver yet another powerful political message with a companion piece about diversity through language. Trudeau was the living antidote to the old, stodgy, grey-suited politician. With his glamour, youthful energy and sex appeal, he had qualities that a new generation of artists could relate to. So it makes sense that the former prime minister should end up owning Wieland’s French version of Reason over Passion — La raison avant la passion. (His family lent it to the National Gallery for the purpose of this show). Trudeau made bilingualism official in this country. Making the quilt in two languages was a powerful symbol of that gesture. Again, Leclerc is thrilled by the many ways the piece can be interpreted. “I love the irony. Here’s a man who insists on placing reason over passion and yet, the political passion he created. It’s a beautiful paradox.” '