Jean Paul Riopelle (1923 - 2002) drew wide acclaim for the abstract paintings that placed him at the cutting edge of several mid-20th-century modern art movements. Riopelle’s creative genius wasn’t limited to a single medium: in the 1960s, the Montréal-born artist dedicated himself to sculpture, creating works of art that underscored his connection to nature, which served as both a grounding force and muse.

One of those bronze-cast sculptures, Riopelle’s Petit hibou, is rendered in Extraordinarily High Relief (EHR) on this coin crafted in gold sourced from Quebec mines. On the coin’s reverse, Riopelle’s sculpted work reaches an incredible relief height of over 6 mm, which further accentuates all the dimpled details that are attributed to the artist’s hand and creative vision.