In My Opinion
PostMedia Network Buries David Milne Exhibition
A recent review of the current David Milne exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery was, to parrot the writer’s words, disappointing, underwhelming and a dud. Moreover, it gives art writing a bad name. Read more
Trumpets of the Last Judgment?
The National Gallery of Canada quietly put one of its two Marc Chagall paintings up for auction in New York. The news has sparked a full-on national controversy. Read more
IN MY OPINION: Canada 150: It’s Our Party
Canada 150 will be the year’s leitmotif; every action and public event will surely be enwrapped in the flag, acknowledging our anniversary. So what’s the plan? Read more
Rita Letendre Receives 2016 Paul-Émile-Borduas Award
The Paul-Émile-Borduas Award is reserved for the very finest and most significant contributors to the art of Quebec. Read more
Douglas Bentham: The Tablets
"Douglas Bentham: The Tablets" is on exhibit at the Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery from September 16th to December 31st, 2016. It will be touring to the Art Gallery of Swift Current, with exhibition dates of January 7th to February 26th, 2017. Read more
Say it Ain’t So, Joe, Say it Ain’t So!
Without fanfare, ceremony (or for that matter pre-warning) a grand contributor to cultural life of Western Canada has closed its doors. The Douglas Udell Gallery posted a low-key message on the front entrance of its Edmonton gallery. Read more
University of Lethbridge's Art Program Builder, Leslie Dawn, has Died
Dr. Leslie Dawn, a transformational western Canadian figure, respected art historian, art critic, professor and to many a much cherished friend, passed away in Lethbridge on Sept 18, 2016. Read more
Celebrating the Art of David Craven (1946-2016)
In the space of a few months, we find ourselves once again reflecting upon the death of yet another admired artistic talent; the exemplary Canadian painter; David Craven passed away, age 69, (August 22, 2016; Cambridge, New York). Read more
IN MY OPINION: Regionalism, nationalism, internationalism: How do we ensure the appropriate balance?
Kate Taylor’s article in the Globe and Mail on Aug. 5, No Canadians need apply: the worrying trend in arts hiring, reports and comments about the appointment of a Briton, Ian Dejardin, as the new director of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. Read more
A New Brunswick Art History Vignette on the occasion of New Brunswick Day (August 1)
The grand flowering of a uniquely American art movement surprisingly has a strong Atlantic Canada connection, most specifically to New Brunswick. Read more
Noel Harding R.C.A. (1945-2016)
Noel Harding passed away May 26, 2016, after a heart attack, says his longtime friend and advocate, Ydessa Hendeles. Read more
Courtesy Allan MacKay
"Chris Cran: Sincerely Yours" National Gallery of Canada until Sept. 5
On Thursday May 19th the National Gallery of Canada launched a triumphal celebration to inaugurate their forty year survey exhibition of over 100 works: Read more
IN MY OPINION: Art awards proliferate, but real reward is making art
It would seem being an artist is a thankless occupation. One spends numerous years training, followed by commitment to a life pursuing a solitary practice; what is the reward? Read more
Courtesy Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas (ACK 1949.02).
Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun in NYC; coming to Ottawa
Organizers emphasize that this is the first retrospective and only the second solo exhibition devoted to Vigée Le Brun in modern times (the previous was 1982 at the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas). Read more
IN MY OPINION: A "Rrose" by any other name would still be "Sélavy"
It would appear the only constant in life is change. The visual arts in Canada are destined for extraordinary transformations; our arts institutions propose major makeovers, expansions, evolutions and philosophic turnarounds. Read more
Courtesy of the artist and TrepanierBaer
IN MY OPINION: Chris Cran love-fest: Major retrospective for Calgary artist
Senior Calgary artist Chris Cran has achieved a remarkable and unique career milestone. The National Gallery of Canada and the Art Gallery of Alberta have come together to organize a 40-year survey of his art for display in Edmonton and Ottawa. Read more
IN MY OPINION: Cuba seeks a chronicler and a champion
It was something of happenstance that I travelled to Cuba at the very moment President Barrack Obama declared his desire to lift the 1962 U.S. trade embargo on the island nation. Read more
IN MY OPINION: China embraces international contemporary art at an almost unfathomable scale.
Growing up, I was comforted and convinced by the boast that the confluence of creativity, economic ingenuity and socially progressive policies poised Canada to inherit the 21st century... China is building public art museums at the rate of 100 a year Read more
IN MY OPINION: Canada needs more art patrons to come to the fore
Does commerce axiomatically compromise integrity? We’d better hope not or we’ll see much less of consequence. But maybe it’s not an ethical question. Maybe it’s the prices that buckle the knees. Read more
IN MY OPINION: Many of our public art treasures – and the histories they reveal – are shelved, locked away, abandoned
It may be a Canadian delusion, but this has seemed a particularly long and dreary winter. I, for one, am suffering the serious effects of cabin fever. Read more