The ‘Icons of Modernism’ Lecture with Prof. Steven Harris
Tensions and Convergences in the Art of Last Century or, Peggy Guggenheim’s Earrings
Wednesday, February 29, 7 pm
Ledcor Theatre, Art Gallery of Alberta
$15/$10 AGA Members
Buy tickets online >
At the opening of her gallery Art of This Century in October 1942, Peggy Guggenheim wore an earring by Yves Tanguy and another by Alexander Calder, to show that she supported both abstract and surrealist tendencies in modern art; and there were surrealist and abstract rooms, each designed differently, in her gallery. These different tendencies in twentieth-century art, and others like Dada, were often in conflict with one another historically, but in the catalogue for her collection, edited by Guggenheim with the help of André Breton, they were brought together in a way that minimized the tensions between them. The talk will focus on the real differences between these and other art movements of the twentieth century, as well as on what brought them together in the space of a gallery and a catalogue in wartime New York.
Steven Harris is Associate Professor in the History of Art, Design and Visual Culture, and Associate Chair (Graduate Studies and Research) at the University of Alberta. He is the author of articles on surrealism, postwar abstraction and Fluxus. His book, Surrealist Art and Thought in the 1930′s: Art, Politics and the Psyche, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2004.
Curator’s Introduction
The ‘Alberta Mistresses of the Modern’ Lecture with Mary-Beth Laviolette
Friday, March 9, 6 pm
Ledcor Theatre, Art Gallery of Alberta
$15 / $10 AGA Members
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Mary-Beth Laviolette is the curator of the exhibition Alberta Mistresses of the Modern: 1935-1975. Born in Edmonton, Laviolette is a graduate of Carleton University in Ottawa, and spent ten years in the province specializing in arts journalism. She covered the visual arts for Arts National on CBC national radio, then returned to Alberta in 1982, where she wrote articles for a variety of newspapers and gallery publications, as well as co-founding and co-editing Artichoke (1989-2005), a visual arts magazine. She published An Alberta Art Chronicle in 2005 and Alberta Art and Artists: An Overview with Patricia Ainslie in 2008. Laviolette currently lives in Canmore, Alberta.
Special Artist Talk: Taras Polataiko
Tuesday, April 3, 5:30 pm
Art Gallery of Alberta
Free
Featured in the current AGA exhibition REARVIEW MIRROR, Taras Polataiko was born in 1966 in Chernivtsi, Ukraine. He studied painting, art history, and philosophy at the Moscow State Stroganov University of Fine and Industrial Arts, moving to Canada in 1989 to pursue a Master of Fine Arts at the University of Saskatchewan. Polataiko’s public exhibitions include Ukrainian Institute of America (New York); Künstlerhaus Schloß Balmoral (Frankfurt, Germany); Center for Contemporary Art (Warsaw, Poland); Soros International Center for Contemporary Art (Kyiv, Ukraine); Art Gallery of Hamilton; Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art; Musée d’Art Contemporain; Winnipeg Art Gallery; Museum London; MacMaster Art Gallery; Artspeak Gallery; Art Gallery of Greater Victoria; MacKenzie Art Gallery; Dunlop Art Gallery; Mendel Art Gallery (all Canada); Antoni Tapies Foundation (Barcelona, Spain); CAAM (Las Palmas, Spain), Artspace (Sydney, Australia); National Museum of Contemporary Art (Belgrade, Serbia) and the National Museum of Art (Lithuania). In 2002 Polataiko represented Ukraine at the 25th São Paulo Biennale and in 2009 he participated in the International Incheon Biennale in South Korea and Volta 5: Age of Anxiety in Basel, Switzerland. He is currently based in Lethbridge.
This artist talk is presented in conjunction with the exhibition REARVIEW MIRROR: New Art from Central and Eastern Europe at the Art Gallery of Alberta, and the international conference Trans-Aesthetics. Crossing Central Europe organized by the Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies at the University of Alberta.
Films
Screening: Swineherd
A film by Wilhelm Sasnal
Tuesday, February 7, 7 pm
Garneau Theatre, 8712 109 Street
$10 Adults / $8 AGA & Metro Members, Students and Seniors
Tickets can be purchased through the Metro Cinema box office.
Wilhelm Sasnal (born 1972, Tarnow, Poland) lives and works in Krakow, Poland. Primarily known as a painter, Sasnal has always been fascinated with film and completed Swineherd in 2008. Loosely based on a Hans Christian fable in which a prince masquerades as a swineherd to win the heart of a princess, Sasnal’s film is set on a farm in postwar Poland. Sasnal’s work is featured in the Art Gallery of Alberta exhibition REARVIEW MIRROR, and has been described by Frieze Magazine as “a mixtape of Postmodern art histories, street savvy, awareness of recent political realities and a remarkable instinct for clean, coherent design.” Poland | 2008 | 86 minutes
This film is presented in partnership with Metro Cinema in conjunction with the exhibition REARVIEW MIRROR.
Art for Lunch
Third Thursday of every month 12:10-12:50 pmLedcor Theatre Foyer Free The season of Art for Lunch will highlight different aspects of Modernism as seen in current AGA exhibitions. This season will explore the roots of Modernism in mid-19th century France, through its diverse manifestations across Europe in the early 20th century, and culminate in the work of Alberta artists.
February 16
Surrealism and Futurism and Cubism – Oh My! Modern “isms” in the Early 20th Century (Part 1)
March 15
Surrealism and Futurism and Cubism – Oh My! Modern “isms” in the Early 20th Century (Part 2)The late 19th and early 20th century saw a proliferation of divergent artistic practices, each each rejecting the one before it in an attempt to carve out new modes of expression. One result of all these innovative approaches is a history littered with different “isms” like Fauvism, Surrealism, Dadaism, Futurism and Cubism. Who were the artists and what were the aims of each of these movements? This two-part Art for Lunch will look at these “isms” in relationship to the works of Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso, Duchamp, Dali and more!
April 19
The Pioneering Women of Modernism in AlbertaThough Alberta is often framed as being artistically conservative, it actually has a long history of Modernism in art that stretches back to the 1920s. In this history, female artists such as Marion Nicoll, Janet Mitchell, Laura Evans Reid and Ella May Walker played pivotal roles. Art for Lunch will examine the impact that different Modernist practices, such as Surrealism, will examine the impact of these “isms” on early Modernism in Alberta.
Exhibition Tours
February Tours
This month of programming at the AGA includes full length and spotlight tours of new and concluding exhibitions. Check out the connecting tours between REARVIEW MIRROR: New Art from Central & Eastern Europe and Icons of Modernism, and don’t miss spotlight tours featuring some of history’s greats: Courbet, Renoir, Monet and more. For a detailed tour scheduled click here. To view our online calendar of all Gallery programs and events click here.
Exhibition Tours are 45 minute long tours that provide an overview of an entire exhibition. These are offered on weekends.
Spotlight Tours are 25 minute long tours that provide an in-depth discussion of a single theme. These are offered Thursdays through Sundays.
Connecting Tours are 45 minute long tours that highlight the connections between two concurrent exhibitions. These tours are dependent upon the current exhibitions and are offered intermittently. These are offered on weekends.
Tours for Tots includes Gallery explorations, art-making, story-telling, and more! Each Art Adventure has a different theme related to current exhibitions and promotes early childhood learning skills such as literacy, numeracy, community awareness and creative expression.
Tours for Tots
For families and kids aged 3-5
NEW TIME: Wednesdays, 10-11 am
Free with Gallery admission
Drop-in Wednesday mornings for these family fun adventures with art! Visits include Gallery explorations, art-making, story-telling, and more! Each Art Adventure has a different theme related to current exhibitions and promotes early childhood learning skills such as literacy, numeracy, community awareness and creative expression. More information >
Private Tours
Private tours for groups both large and small are also available. More information on private tours >Interested in gaining an insider’s perspective on our exhibitions? Treat your group to an enjoyable private tour led by our knowledgeable Interpretive Staff. AGA Private Tours are a unique way to learn about our current exhibitions and can be personalized to meet your groups’ needs.
AGA Book Club
Discover the dynamic connection between visual art and literature. The AGA Book Club is the product of an exciting partnership between the Art Gallery of Alberta and the Edmonton Public Library, in which book selections are inspired by current AGA exhibitions. This season’s book selection is inspired by A PASSION FOR NATURE: Landscape Painting from 19th Century Franceand will be followed by a tour of the exhibition.
The Judgment of Paris by Ross King
Thursday, February 16, 7 pm
Green Studio, Lower Level
Free; register online >
The Judgment of Paris chronicles the dramatic decade between two famous exhibitions: the scandalous Salon des Refusés in 1863, and the first Impressionist showing in 1874, set against the rise and dramatic fall of Napoleon III and the Second Empire, after the Franco-Prussian War. A tale of many artists, it revolves around the lives of two, described as “the two poles of art” — Ernest Meissonier, the most famous and successful painter of the 19th century, hailed for his precision and devotion to history; and Edouard Manet, reviled in his time, who nonetheless heralded the most radical change in the history of art since the Renaissance. Out of the fascinating story of their parallel lives, illuminated by their legendary supporters and critics Zola, Delacroix, Courbet, Baudelaire, Whistler, Monet, Hugo, Degas, and many more — Ross King shows that their contest was not just about Art, it was about how to see the world. With a novelist’s skill and the perception of an historian, King recalls a seminal period when artistic expression had the power to electrify and divide a nation.
This program is presented in partnership with the Edmonton Public Library. Go to www.epl.ca for more information on their many available Book Club programs.
