By Audrey Wang, AGGV Volunteer
The intertwining of art and literature is beautifully illustrated in the publication, Les Illuminations (1949), featuring poetic prose by Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) and modern lithographs by Fernand Léger(1881-1955).
Currently on show at the AGGV is Collecting & Connecting: Recent Asian Art Acquisitions. It is the first exhibition curated by Dr. Heng Wu as the new Asian Art Curator at the Gallery. We speak to her about this show, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the logistics of display and her vision for the AGGV’s Asian art collection.
By Audrey Wang, AGGV Volunteer
Vera Weatherbie’s history as an artist is often overshadowed by her relationships with men and her exceptional beauty in many narratives.
By Audrey Wang, AGGV Volunteer
This past Spring, during a time when, typically, the outdoors is celebrated for the rejuvenation of life after winter, much of humanity spent it indoors, under government lockdown orders to shelter from the unseen enemy of COVID-19. Our homes became our refuge and safe place.
The varied land and seascapes around Victoria have provided inspiration to artists for hundreds of years. Can you identify where these locales are in the paintings, drawings and photographs below from the AGGV Collection?
By Duncan M. Ferguson, AGGV Exhibitions Preparator
Details in the emblematic portrait of Bibi La Purée will be visible for the first time in decades. Sophie Pemberton’s portrait of Bibi La Purée hasn’t been fit for exhibition in decades. There are few artworks that represent so much of an artist, but this one weaves a web of significance into one painting.
By Audrey Wang, AGGV Volunteer
The centenarian and beloved BC-based artist and philanthropist, Gordon Appelbe Smith, worked prolifically up until he turned 100. The AGGV is fortunate to have many of Smith’s artworks that document his West Coast aesthetic. This body of works also serves as a profound testament to the art movements of the 20th century in Western Canada.
By Marina DiMaio, AGGV Marketing Assistant
In our ongoing celebration of the AGGV’s striking ceramics collection, we searched high and low for some of our wildest ceramics. Get ready to discover some of the incredibly inventive ways the artists in our collection have reimagined and reinvigorated this essential, and innately transformable, material, of earth and water – taking us “back to the land”, through “the ills of the city”, and far off into the future!
At the Art Gallery, we have a flower count from our vast art collection. How many varieties can you name in the artworks in this article? Take our quiz and scroll down to the end for the answers!