William Brymner,
,
1885, oil on canvas, Purchase,
Chancellor Richardson Memorial Fund
and Wintario matching funds, 1979
(22-027)
Exhibitions
William Brymner: Artist, Teacher, Colleague
R. Fraser Elliott, Historical Feature, African and
Samuel J. Zacks Galleries
27 March - 25 July
William Brymner (1855-1925) is distinguished in the history of Canadian art as a painter of great talent and an influential teacher, who inspired many of Canada’s bestknown modern artists. In celebration of his outstanding achievements, this exhibition brings together Brymner’s work with other key paintings, drawings, sculpture and prints by his contemporaries and his students, to present a fresh look at a creative, social and intellectual milieu in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that, in several meaningful ways, had Brymner at its core.
Brymner was among an early generation of Canadian artists to study abroad and to promote Canadian art at home. Director of the Art Association of Montreal art school from 1886 to 1921, and a prominent member of several national and local artists’ groups, Brymner exhibited, travelled, sketched and exchanged ideas with both colleagues and students. His openness to new movements and propensity to experiment informed both his painting and his pedagogy. As an artist, Brymner constantly pushed against his academic training by exploiting light effects, lively colour and open space, particularly in his landscapes
William Brymner: Artist, Teacher, Colleague partners the collections of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre and Power Corporation of Canada, not only highlighting strengths from our gallery, but also providing a rare glimpse into one of Canada’s premier corporate art collections. Among Brymner’s colleagues represented in the exhibition are: Maurice Cullen, Robert Harris, Ozias Leduc, James Wilson Morrice, George A. Reid, Marc- Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, and Horatio Walker. Brymner students on exhibition include: Emily Coonan, Clarence Gagnon, Adrien Hébert, Prudence Heward, Randolph Hewton, Edwin Holgate, A.Y. Jackson, H. Mabel May, Lilias Torrance Newton, Sarah Robertson, and Marian Dale Scott. A fully illustrated colour catalogue, with four scholarly essays, will be available in French and English editions. Folllowing its presentation at the Art Centre the exhibition will tour nationally, to the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, and the Winnepeg Art Gallery.
Alicia Boutilier
Related Events
The Frances K. Smith Lecture on Canadian ArtSunday 28 March, 2 pm, Atrium
Professor Brian Foss, Director of the School for Studies in Art and Culture at Carleton University, will present the 2010 Frances K Smith Lecture on Canadian Art entitled "The Beaver Hall Group: William Brymner’s Students and the Montreal Art Scene in the 1920s." A reception celebrating the opening of the exhibition will follow.