First Name: Eddy

Last Name: Cobiness

Full Name: Eddy Cobiness

Alternative Names:  Eddy “Doc” Cobiness

Date of birth: July 17, 1933

Place of birth: Warroad, Minnesota, United States

Date of death: January 1, 1996

Place of death: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Community / Heritage: Ojibwe

Sex: Male

Art Media: Watercolour, acrylic, coloured pencil, pen, ink, oil.

Bio:

Eddy Cobiness was an Ojibwe artist and graphic designer born in 1933 at the Buffalo Point Reserve near Warroad, Minnesota, United States. Cobiness was largely self-taught, beginning to paint in watercolours while serving in the military. His early work involved realistic illustrations of nature and village scenes, evolving into more abstract depictions of stylized animals and wildlife. Cobiness worked in different mediums, including oil, acrylic, ink, watercolour and coloured pencil. He took inspiration from many sources but counts the art of celebrated Woodland artist Chee Chee as his supreme influence. 

Cobiness was known for adding the number 47 to most of his works. The number was a reference to the treaty numbers that the Canadian government gave to Indigenous groups.

Cobiness belonged to the Woodland School of Art and was a prominent member of the Professional Native Indian Artists Incorporation. Cobiness, with Alex Janvier, Norval Morrisseau, Carl Ray, Daphne Odjig, Jackson Beardy and Joseph Sanchez co-founded the collective, dubbed “The Indian Group of Seven” in 1973. The group would go on to influence the development of contemporary Indigenous art in Canada.

The artist maintained a large studio in Buffalo Point, on the shore of Lake of the Woods, but in 1974 was forced to move to Winnipeg, Manitoba due to health issues. He suffered from severe diabetes and had a heart attack in 1994. Following complications from a broken hip surgery and diabetes, Cobiness died on January 1, 1996.

Cobiness’ works have been exhibited and collected worldwide, and are notably held in the collection of Queen Elizabeth II.

Exhibitions

• MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
• Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
• The McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada
• Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Collections

• Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Québec, Canada
• Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
• Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada
• Children's Hospital, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• Government Building, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
• Province of Manitoba Offices, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• Winnipeg City Hall, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• Woodland Cultural Centre, Brantford, Ontario, Canada

Articles

• https://norvalmorrisseau.blogspot.com/2011/07/honouring-eddy-cobiness.html
• http://www.native-art-in-canada.com/eddycobiness.html
• https://ammsa.com/publications/windspeaker/obituary-–-eddy-cobiness