Nature and Spirit: Emily Carr's Coastal Landscapes

March 5-June 5, 2011

Nature and Spirit: Emily Carr’s Coastal Landscapes includes 35 works by Canadian icon, Emily Carr. The exhibition spans Carr’s career and features examples of her early experiments with European modernism, a selection of later works that reveal her fascination with the art and culture of the Aboriginal people of the Pacific Northwest coast, and its landscape. Many of the artist’s most recognized images such as: Zunoqua of the Cat Village, The Little Pine and A Rushing Sea of Undergrowth are included in the exhibition; works that are powerful statements of Carr’s connection to the rain forest, her interest in design and composition, and her ability to convey a sense of the awe she found in nature.  Before her death in 1945, Emily Carr’s reputation as an artist, writer and creative innovator was nationally recognized with solo exhibitions, award winning publications and the admiration of her peers. The accolades for Carr’s work are an ironic epilogue to an artistic life that developed in almost total obscurity influenced by only a handful of powerful, external experiences and her deep connection to the people and landscape of British Columbia.

Curated by Ian Thom, Senior Curator, Historical, Vancouver Art Gallery