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 practice of Chinese ink painting was a personal and meditative exercise, the essence of the work derived from the spontaneous expression of feelings. And in the Song dynasty, landscape painting became a symbol of escape and sanctuary from the chaos of reality.
This year’s New Extreme Program involved 3 groups of insightful, creative and inspiring youth who created inquiry projects with 3 local artists. They had to stop just short of completion, due to COVID 19. Here is a sense of the important work they did together, in their own words.
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!
The Massey Sales Gallery is proud to present Miles Lowry Breathing Spaces, a solo show and sale of the renown Victoria-based artist’s new work which he created on a recent trip to his beloved Ireland.
By Regan Shrumm, AGGV Curatorial Assistant
The AGGV’s new sensory kits are toolkits that provide some extra support to help individuals stay relaxed and prevent from being overstimulated. Sensory kits are becoming more and more common throughout museums around North America, and were first made specifically for the neurodivergent community (this community is formed from individuals with neurological differences, which including A.D.H.D, Autism Spectrum, Tourette Syndrome, and many others).
Although not always visible, the AGGV is often supporting ongoing projects that extend well beyond its walls. One such project is Wa’witłala: The Pervasiveness of Water/Cannot Go Against the Tide.
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!