"Modern Woman: Women Artists between the Wars"
2001-01-18 until 2001-04-01
Art Gallery of Hamilton
Hamilton, ON, CA Canada

As a complement to the Marian Dale Scott retrospective,this exhibition from the permanent collection considers the work of women artists involved in the emergence and maturation of modernism in Canada. In retrospect, we see that a great number of those artists who were pushing their way out of the nineteenth century and experimenting with new forms of aesthetic expression at the beginning of the twentieth century were women. Anchored by the work of several artists associated with Montreal's Beaver Hall Hill Group - Prudence Heward, Anne Savage, and Kathleen Morris, and including work by Kathleen Munn , Elizabeth Wyn Wood, Cecil Buller and Emily Carr, among many others - the exhibition examines the different trajectories of modernism as adopted by a rang of Canadian women.

Recently discovered but in serious need of repair, a stunning painting has been restored to its former glory and added to the Art Gallery of Hamilton's permanent collection.  A Northern Railway Town, Lake Superior c. 1935 by Rody Kenny Courtice (Canadian, 1895-1973) was among a small number of works recently uncovered by a Toronto dealer. Acquired by the Gallery in November 2000, and sent to a conservator for two months of painstaking work, the newly restored painting -- with its brilliant colours and striking composition -- is now the highlight of the Art Gallery of Hamilton's exhibition Modern Woman: Women Artists between the Wars. 

Rody Kenny Courtice is among a generation of women artists whose names may not be familiar to the broader gallery-going public -- yet, says AGH Curator of Historical Art Tobi Bruce. Part of our job is to reintroduce the work of lesser known artists who made an important contribution in their day, and to represent their activities with the right work.  Northern Railway Town is just that work: it’s an ambitious and powerful painting that represents the very best of Courtice's practice, and makes a substantial addition to our holdings of modern art.

The Modern Woman exhibition was organized in conjunction with Marian Dale Scott, 1906-1993: Pioneer of Modern Art, a retrospective organized and toured by the Musée du Québec on view at the AGH until March 18th, 2001. Sponsored by Stelco, Modern Woman explores the varied artistic sensibilities of some of Canada's leading women artists active between the Wars. 

Recently awarded a Lieutenant Governor's Award for the Arts, the Art Gallery of Hamilton is the third largest public gallery in Ontario. It owns one of the finest art collections in Canada. Admission to the Gallery is free, courtesy of Orlick Industries Limited.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for Canada

Other Important Exhibitions in Hamilton