Chief Yellowhead and Son

About Chief Yellowhead and Son

This contemporary painting by Charles Pachter features a historic indigenous figure.

Resoundingly Canadian, much loved artistic polymath, Charles Pachter is perhaps best known for his colourful pop art that depicts iconic images like the Canadian flag, the maple leaf, the moose and the Queen. But, he has also created artwork that commemorates significant figures and moments from our nation’s past. This is one of a series of paintings inspired by a famous indigenous chief from the Ojibwe tribe in Ontario named William Yellowhead. Here he is seen in full traditional dress alongside his son, facing the viewer. The colour palette is characteristic of Pachter’s love of bright colours—red, yellow and orange against a deep blue backdrop. Yellowhead was a much respected leader who fought in the War of 1812 alongside both Canadian and British soldiers against invading American armies. He later went on to establish an alliance of three separate Chippewa communities that continues to this day.

“Over his 50-year career, (Pachter’s) boldly graphic works and uncloying patriotism have presented a cheeky yet defining vision of Canada and its culture unlike any other.” Betty Ann Jordan, Artist

Charles Pachter studied at the University of Toronto, the Sorbonne in Paris and at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in the USA. Among his many accolades, he is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a member of the Order of Ontario, a Chevalier of France’s Order of Arts and Letters and a recipient of the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals. He has had numerous solo exhibitions in Europe, Japan, the UK, India and Bangladesh. His work is held in both private and public collections around the world, including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum and the McMichael Gallery.