The Painter as Printmaker: Impressionist Prints from the National Gallery of Canada

Organized by the National Gallery of Canada
May 15–August 2, 2010

Cézanne, Degas, Renoir, Van Gogh. These
Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists,
with their iconic paintings and pastels, are
household names. But what is less known is that many of these artists were also printmakers who made significant contributions to the history of printmaking.

The Painter as Printmaker showcases the
extraordinary beauty of Impressionist prints,
with 65 artworks from the National Gallery of
Canada's collection, including works on paper
by such famous nineteenth century artists as Mary Cassatt, Paul Cézanne, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Jean François Millet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Vincent van Gogh.

Exploring the depth, versatility and experimental nature of prints created by the most famous artists of the modernist era, The Painter as Printmaker reveals how Impressionist artists were as revolutionary in their printmaking as they were in their painting.

Printmakers were included in the first Impressionist exhibitions in 1874. Among the
artists exhibiting prints in the Impressionist exhibitions were Pissarro, Cassatt and
Degas. Other members of the group, including Cézanne and Renoir, also practiced
printmaking. Renoir first encountered the medium as an illustrator for La vie moderne
in the late 1870s and executed prints inspired by his paintings in the 1890s.

In many ways, printmaking is the most democratic of media as prints can be more
affordable than paintings. Through prints, the imagery and ideas of the Impressionists
and Post-Impressionists were introduced into the vernacular of popular culture in the late nineteenth century.

Among these significant prints, museum visitors will recognize Millet's peasants, Manet's Spanish subjects and his famous Execution of Maximilian as well as the ballerinas, bathers and café scenes of Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh's portraits
of Doctor Gachet, Paul Cézanne's bathers and Mary Cassatt's beautiful portrayals of mothers and women in their daily lives. Other highlights in this exhibition is a series of prints based on the theme of the mother and child by the American artist Mary Cassatt. Also included are two seminal works by Paul Cézanne, The Small Bathers and an important study for The Large Bathers.

Paul Cézanne, The Large Bathers, c. 1896-1898, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Photo © NGC

Riopelle: The Glory of Abstraction

Organized by Glenbow Museum
May 15–August 2, 2010

Riopelle: The Glory of Abstraction showcases
the work of renowned artist Jean-Paul Riopelle
(1923-2002) and represents the most important phases of his career. This Quebeçois master was an artist of dazzling complexity who produced some of the most beautiful abstract paintings of the twentieth century. Riopelle is considered to be one of Canada's greatest artists, one of the first with a truly international reputation, with work represented in major collections all over the world.

In the 1940s, Riopelle was part of a group, the Automatistes, that became known for their unpremeditated and spontaneous approach to painting. This method was related to Surrealism and drew upon the subconscious as a source of direct inspiration. In 1948, Riopelle produced a watercolour for the cover of the explosive manifesto Refus Global, written by his former teacher Paul-Émile Borduas and signed by a number of Borduas' students, including Riopelle. Riopelle went on to enjoy a successful career in France where he had been living since 1947. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, he became friends with some of the most influential people in the Parisian cultural scene including artists, gallery owners and writers. In the early 1970s, he built a home and studio in the Laurentians in Quebec. From 1974, he divided his time between Quebec and France, returning permanently to Canada in 1990. He died on March 12, 2002 and was accorded a state funeral.

Riopelle's dynamic and original style of painting was widely appreciated and sought
after, bringing him incredible commercial and critical success. Riopelle was the first
Canadian artist whose work sold for over a million at Sotheby’s. Underlying his work was his love of painting and especially of paint itself — abundantly and extravagantly laid on, transforming flat surfaces into sensuous reliefs. In these exciting paintings, reason and passion seem to collide.

Don’t miss your chance to view seldom-seen Riopelle artworks, most from private collections. Over 90 percent of the exhibition is drawn from Calgary collectors! Riopelle: The Glory of Abstraction features an impressive grouping of Riopelle's art drawn from local private collections, including some that have never before been exhibited to the public. In addition, there are works on paper from the Glenbow collection and several monumental abstractions borrowed from public collections such as the National Gallery of Canada, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Winnipeg Art Gallery and from corporations such as Power Corporation and Imperial Oil.

This Glenbow-produced exhibition is curated by Glenbow's Senior Art Curator, Monique Westra. Glenbow gratefully acknowledges the Masters Gallery for their ongoing support of this exhibition.

Jean-Paul Riopelle, Sans Titre (untitled), 1950, Private Collection © Estate of Jean Paul Riopelle/SODRAC (2010)

From Our Collections: Stella Mere by Catherine Ross

May 15–August 2, 2010

This spectacular and monumental installation by Lethbridge-based artist Catherine Ross, is made up of hundreds of starfish, each individually cast in aluminum and mounted on thin threaded steel rods.

Seven hundred and fifty shimmering starfish float on a wavy, tightly-knit surface that looks like a gently shifting island. The interlocking repetitive pattern of starfish seems like a glittering, overarching fabric or skin. While the undulating surface is evocative of the coulees in the Oldman River valley that the artist sees from her home, it is also reminiscent of drifts of snow, clouds, waves and the seabed. At once landscape, seascape and skyscape, it is simultaneously a dreamscape magically transformed by glinting reflections of light. Because of its huge scale and irregular configuration, the viewer is compelled to walk around the work, drawn into its mysterious and contemplative sphere. The effect of Stella Mere is theatrical, mesmerizing and unforgettable.

Stella Mere took three years to complete and the help of over 20 people. In 2008, the artist donated Stella Mere to the Glenbow Museum.

Watch this time-lapse video of the installation of Stella Mere, a monumental sculpture by Alberta artist Catherine Ross.

Catherine Ross, Stella Mere, 1996-99, cast aluminum and steel rods; Collection of Glenbow Museum

Artistic Folk

June 19 – September 26, 2010

This exhibition features 35 amazing handmade objects from Glenbow's cultural history
collections that illustrate the refreshing creativity of Western Canada's first European
settlers. From richly painted storage trunks to a skillfully crafted tower clock and a delightful pelican whirligig, the exhibition showcases the individuality, artistry and cultural roots of Western Canadians. Some of the objects were brought to Canada from the settlers' homelands and some were made here, but all of the artifacts express the unexpected talents of the individuals who made them. Most of the objects in the exhibition were made with practicality in mind and fashioned from locally available materials, but the furniture, furnishings, musical instruments and children's toys are as eyecatching and lively as the whirligigs and carvings included in the exhibition.

This exhibition is curated by Glenbow Senior Curator of Cultural History Lorain Lounsberry.

Ukrainian Cradle, 1907, Collection of Glenbow Museum