The Art Canada Institute – an organization dedicated to the publication of Canadian art history – has announced the release of six new digital books.
These books, on everything from Maud Lewis and Kent Monkman to Canada's war art, are part of the institute's Canadian Online Art Book Project, which now includes nearly 50 publications, all free online in both English and French.
Institute director Sara Angel calls this publication season “the most ambitious to date.”
The first title to be released, Maud Lewis: Life and Work, by Ray Cronin, comes out Sept. 24. Cronin, the former director of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, chronicles the beloved folk artist's life and the joyful paintings she created despite her hardships.
War Art in Canada: A Critical History, by Laura Brandon, former curator of art and war at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, is the first book from the institute focusing on a theme instead of a single artist. Brandon deals with a range of media in the book, from posters and sketches to films and sculptures. She features artists like A.Y. Jackson, Alex Colville and Rebecca Belmore, as well as traditional Indigenous war art practices. It will be released on Remembrance Day, Nov. 11.
Arnaud Maggs: Life and Work, by graphic designer and photography professor Anne Cibola, focuses on the acclaimed Montreal-born artist. Maggs was part of the Toronto mid-century design scene and was a fashion photographer before turning to art photography. Before he died in 2012, a survey of Maggs' work was held at the National Gallery of Canada and he won the Scotiabank Photography Award. This book will be published on Dec. 10.
Kent Monkman: Life and Work, by Shirley Madill, director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, will come out Feb. 25. Madill delves into the life story and career of Kent Monkman, who the Globe and Mail once called “about as famous as a living painter can be.” Monkman's work often features his alter-ego Miss Chief Eagle Testickle. He deals with history, gender, Indigeneity and trauma in an unflinching and humorous way.
Gathie Falk: Life and Work will be released April 30. Falk is acclaimed for finding beauty in the ordinary, from her paintings to her sculptures and performance art. Written by Michelle Jacques, chief curator of the Remai Modern in Saskatoon, the book covers Falk's early life growing up in Mennonite communities and details her career from 1960 to now.
Ottawa Art & Artists: An Illustrated History, by Jim Burant, will be published May 27. Burant is a member of the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation and has published and lectured widely on art, photography and archives. This is the first book in the Art Canada Institute's cities series, featuring artists past and present who have shaped Canadian cities. From pictographs by Anishinaabe artists to painters like David Milne and contemporary artists like Jinny Yu, Ottawa Art & Artists presents an illustrated history of the nation's capital.
Source: Art Canada Institute