A Story of Canadian Art: As Told by the Hart House Art Collection
May 9 to July 19, 2015

Have you always wanted to view original works of art by the Group of Seven but never had the chance? Kelowna audiences will have the rare opportunity to see forty paintings by prominent Canadian historical artists including members of the Group of Seven, as well as Tom Thomson, David Milne, and other artists active in the early to mid-twentieth century. A Story of Canadian Art: As Told by the Hart House Art Collection will be on view at the Kelowna Art Gallery from May 9 through July 19, 2015.

Visitors will no doubt be thrilled by the extraordinary paintings in the exhibition, that includes many works depicting iconic Canadian landscapes, but also some stunning portraits, still lifes, and urban scenes. The time frame the exhibition spans is a significant one – the period of the Great Depression, when many Canadians were forced to endure substantial economic hardships and when Canadian artists turned from wilderness landscape material to exploring social issues in their work.

The exhibition provides an interesting look at the history of art in Canada and features an impressive number of women artists, including Prudence Heward, Lilias Torrance Newton, Paraskeva Clark, Kathleen Morris, and Bess and Yvonne Housser. Works by these women painters have never previously been exhibited in Kelowna.

A Story of Canadian Art is organized and circulated by the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery (Hart House, University of Toronto, Canada). The exhibition is financially supported by the Museums Assistance Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage. Independent curator Dr Christine Boyanoski has organized the exhibition and has written the text in the beautiful catalogue that accompanies the show.

The Kelowna Art Gallery is located at 1315 Water Street in downtown Kelowna. For more information about current exhibitions, public programming or special events, please visit www.kelownaartgallery.com or call the Gallery at 250-762-2226.

Image Credits:

Arthur Lismer, Isles of Spruce, 1922, oil on canvas, 136 x 179 cm. Hart House Art Collection, University of Toronto.

Yvonne Housser, South Shore, Quebec, 1933, oil on canvas, 82 x 97.5 cm.
Hart House Art Collection, University of Toronto.

Charles Comfort, Young Canadian, 1932, watercolour on paper, 92 x 107.3 cm.
Hart House Art Collection, University of Toronto.