Alex Janvier, one of Canada's greatest painters, has died at age 89. The residential school survivor, who was from Cold Lake First Nations in Alberta, co-founded the Professional Native Indian Artists Incorporation along with Norval Morrisseau, Daphne Odjig and Jackson Beardy. This helped open doors for Indigenous artists in Canada and around the globe. He was known for his abstract work that combined modern and Indigenous influence. The CBC says he painted into his last days. "I am a free man because I can create," he wrote in 2016. "I thank the Great Spirit for my family and for being able to express myself through my paintings. When I die, I want to have a paintbrush in my hand."

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