At the National Gallery of Canada
From November 8, 2013 to February 2, 2014
OTTAWA, Nov. 6, 2013 /CNW/ - Beginning November 8, and until February 2, 2014, the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) invites the public to immerse itself in Canada at the turn of the 20th century by walking through its ambitious exhibition Artists, Architects and Artisans: Canadian Art 1890 - 1918. Bringing together more than 320 objects, this fascinating exhibition explores the energetic productivity of art makers and designers during a prosperous time in Canadian history. Organized by the NGC, Artists, Architects and Artisans: Canadian Art 1890 - 1918 is sponsored by Heffel Fine Art Auction House. For more information, visit www.gallery.ca/aaa and watch the interview with NGC Curator of Canadian Art and exhibition co-curator Charles Hill.
"Artists, Architects and Artisans breaks new art historical ground," explained NGC Director and CEO Marc Mayer. "It's not the final word on a period of immense creativity in Canada. It is, rather, a proposal for new ways to look at the history of the arts in our country, offering viewers and scholars numerous themes to be pursued and expanded in the future."
The exhibition examines the architecture, urban plans, decorative painting, applied arts, graphic design and photography of Canada's first boom period, when artistic quality reached a level previously unknown in the country's short history.
Among the many artists featured are painters Ozias Leduc, George Reid, Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Côté, Tom Thomson and Lawren Harris ; sculptors Louis-Philippe Hébert and Alfred Laliberté; photographers Sydney Carter and Harold Mortimer Lamb; and architects Edward et William Maxell, Percy Nobbs and Samuel Maclure.
1890 - 1918: a prosperous and prolific era in Canada
The decades following the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in
1886 to the end of the First World War saw Canada grow from an awkward
alliance of formerly independent colonies to an agricultural and
industrial nation. Optimism and a new spirit of national pride marked
the peak boom years, stimulated by the immense growth in population due
to immigration. Urban growth demanded new buildings, which became
shells for civic ambitions and new opportunities for art workers. From
the furnishings and interiors of a house, to the design and decoration
of a public building, to the planning of the streetscape and larger
urban fabric, it was an age of reform. Artists, architects and artisans
worked together in cooperative ventures, introducing painting into
architecture, design and furniture.
One exhibition, one national portrait
Entering the first room of Artists, Architects and Artisans: Candian Art 1890 - 1918, visitors are greeted by Alfred Laliberté's lively bronze sculpture Boy with Turkey (Air), 1915, brought from Montreal's Marché Maisonneuve for the duration of
the exhibition. This sculpture and Boy with Fish, 1915, which stands at the exit, have been generously loaned by the
City of Montreal.
Walking through a dozen rooms in the exhibition, visitors will discover numerous objects - painted murals, detailed architectural drawings and plans, prints, photographs, sculptures, finely crafted jewellery, ceramics, metalwork, furniture, stained glass, and textiles - from across Canada, from Halifax and Charlottetown to the Île d'Orléans, Trois-Rivières, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, Burnaby, Vancouver and Victoria.
About the curators
The National Gallery of Canada's Curator of Canadian Art, Charles Hill,
is the lead curator of Artists, Architects and Artisans: Canadian Art 1890 - 1918. During the six years of exhibition planning, he was supported by the
expertise of a curatorial team: NGC Associate Curator of Photographs
Andrea Kunard, as well as curators and art historians Christine
Boyanoski, Laurier Lacroix, Rosalind Pepall, Bruce Russell and
Geoffrey Simmins.
Charles Hill has worked in the National Gallery of Canada's curatorial department for Canadian art for more than 40 years. As Curator of Canadian Art, he is responsible for acquisitions, research and presentation of historic Canadian paintings, sculpture and decorative arts. Mr. Hill was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 2000, received an Honorary Doctorate from Concordia University, Montreal, in 2007, and was given the Award of Distinguished Service by the Canadian Museums Association in 2012.
Catalogue
Artists, Architects and Artisans: Canadian Art 1890-1918 is accompanied by a catalogue, containing over 400 illustrations, which
shows how art makers and designers in various disciplines promoted an
aesthetic that integrated art in all aspects of daily life. Published
by the NGC, the 340-page volume features a foreword by the Gallery's
Director, as well as essays by Charles Hill, Andrea Kunard, Laurier
Lacroix, Geoffrey Simmins, Rosalind Pepall, Christine Boyanoski and
Bruce Russell. The catalogue is on sale at the NGC Bookstore for $45
and at
www.ShopNGC.ca, the Gallery's online boutique.
Symposium
Saturday 9 November from 1 pm to 5 pm. In the Auditorium. Ticket
required: $15 (adults), $12 (seniors and students), $10 (members). A
panel of experts examines a period in Canadian Art in which
interdisciplinary collaboration in the arts expressed a common vision
through brick and stone, wood and metalwork, textiles, furnishings and
painted decorations. Coffee and tea will be served during the break.
Meet the Curator
Saturday 18 January at 11 am. Free with Gallery admission. Visit the
exhibition with curator Charles Hill.
Lectures
Ticket required: $ 8 (adults), $7 (seniors and students), $6 (members).
Thursday 5 December at 6 pm. In the Auditorium. Rediscover Ottawa and
its surroundings with urban planning specialist and historian David
Gordon.
Thursday 12 December at 6 pm. In the Lecture Hall. Kathleen M. Fenwick
Annual Memorial Lecture. Guest speaker: Rosalind Pepall .
