Oil on canvas, framed. Featuring an abstract expressionist composition. Signed MABE on the lower right corner. Attributed to Manabu Mabe (1924-1997, Brazilian-Japanese). 50 x 38 cm (19.5 x 15 in). Frame: 60 x 50 cm (24 x 19.75 in). PROVENANCE: Southern Ontario estate

Manabu Mabe (1924-1997) worked as a vendor of hand-painted ties in Sao Paulo before becoming a famous artist. In the late 1950s, Mabe won the top award in Sao Paulo's Contemporary Art Salon, the top award as Brazil's best painter in the Sao Paulo Bienal, and the top honors for artists under 35 at Paris's first biennial. On January 30, 1979, after an exhibition in Tokyo, 53 of his paintings were on board a Varig cargo Boeing 707-323C en route from Tokyo - Narita to Rio de Janeiro-Galeao via Los Angeles. The aircraft went missing over the Pacific Ocean some 30 minutes (200 km ENE) from Tokyo. The cause is unknown since the wreck was never found. The paintings were lost. Mabe died in Sao Paulo on September 22, 1997. PROVENANCE: Southern Ontario estate

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