Michael Kluckner has published his latest illustrated book, appropriately named Surviving Vancouver. As usual, it is a must read!

https://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/douglas-todd-surviving-vancouver-in-more-ways-than-one

https://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/douglas-todd-surviving-vancouver-in-more-ways-than-one

An important exhibition of Mildred Valley Thornton from the Nuytten Collection is taking place at Uno Langmann gallery this month until April 27. From their website:

“We have enjoyed rehanging the gallery space to include the vibrant works of. We have held the remaining Nuytten Collection open for display and sale for the duration of this exhibition.

Collected by entrepreneur and author Phil Nuytten (1941-2023) over many years, often as gifts to his wife, these works by Mildred Valley Thornton represent a rare cross-section of her life. Hung alongside the Nuytten Northwest Coast Collection, the exhibition includes both watercolours and oils, with subjects ranging from indigenous portraits to landscapes and historical works documenting both indigenous communities and the Canadian landscape. Phil Nuytten, author of The Totem Carvers describing the life of Ellen Neel and her family, had an interest in Thornton’s work due to the connection between the two artists who had much in common, both passionate about advocating for women artists and preserving the traditional arts of the aboriginal people. Many works in the exhibition are illustrated in The Life and Art of Mildred Valley Thornton, the comprehensive biography published in 2011 by Sheryl Salloum as part of The Unheralded Artists of BC series.

After her death, Thornton’s physician Dr. Laurie Patrick and his business partner, my father Uno Langmann, were the first to handle the estate and purchased several of the portraits illustrated in Indian Lives and Legends. A strong admirer of her work, our gallery has collected and sold many works since. To read more about the life of Mildred Valley Thornton and quotes and excerpts from both Phil Nuytten and my father on her work, visit our exhibition page.

We hope that you can view the exhibition either online or in person in the gallery, on now through April 27.”

FYI from smashmodernart.com:

SMASH archives sale starts this weekend in Vancouver. We are opening up the archives with 40 Years of Vancouver art history! Prints, poster, neon, paintings and more.

Saturday March 16th 1-6pm and Sunday March 17th 1-6pm

3030 Commercial Drive

Be smart, buy art.

xox SMASH

Further background to the theme of Vancouver Imagined…here’s an article from 1975, the Urban Reader.

Hi! I saw your post about the print of the Canadian Pavilion done by Thomas Jackson Wray Huntley, and I was wondering if you still had it? As Thomas is actually my great grandfather and I’ve been trying to collect works of his!

Alas, I didn’t buy it myself, and I’ve only seen it once…sorry! Keep on the lookout tho, there should be more.

Current weather forecasts this is the perfect time to take in some David Wilson artwork. Via DavidWilson.ca:

David Wilson: The Ground Beneath My Feet

October 12 - 28, 2023

Artist Q&A: Saturday, Oct. 21 2pm. Bring your questions for the artist.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 12pm - 5pm

Venue: VisualSpace Gallery, 3352 Dunbar Street, Vancouver, BC

Possibly from January 1, 1975, or perhaps published a day early on December 31, 1974 (The Citizen was usually released on Wednesday I believe), this cover image features a painting of a Seaspan Tug by marine artist John M. Horton. I believe the illustrated map of Vancouver was also from the same issue, though I'm not certain; I only saw a reprinted copy of this paper, from the estate of Michael Brown. Michael Brown was a longtime resident of Vancouver, a longshoreman, and a passionate collector of all things transportation related, focusing on commercial aviation, as well as the golden age of Hollywood. From his obit:

His heart had no bounds. He spent many years on the waterfront and his love and knowledge of his city and the Port of Vancouver was vast and palpable through his vivid descriptions and amazing photographs. His interests went far beyond the port to historical depictions of the evolution of transportation - from "Trains, Planes, and Automobiles" to the elegant ships of days gone by. Mike was a great storyteller and could entertain friends and family for hours. He loved animals, devoting his time to comforting rescued kittens and cats at his favourite shelter in North Vancouver. He will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him. God speed your passing, Mike.

More photos in this photoset on flickr.

Art in the City 2023 takes place at the West End Community Centre this weekend. “Starting TONIGHT and continuing on Saturday and Sunday, Art in the City takes over the WECC Arena for an exhibition of fine arts. Up to 50 booths will be full of paintings, drawings, limited edition prints, sculpture, and photography.” Gary Sim and Ken Pattern will be in attendance, among others.

Friday 5:30-7:30

Saturday 11-5

Sunday 11-4

West End Community Centre

870 Denman St, Vancouver BC V6G 2L8

Last night the Vancouver Historical Society guest speaker was Tom Carter, local artist and historian with a focus on the city’s entertainment history. We’ve featured his work here before, and if you missed this ‘full house’ presentation, you are in luck! You can replay the livestream here! Intro at 11:32, the talk begins at 17:10. https://www.youtube.com/live/E_PaPO1jFoc

Canada Pavilion - Pavillon du Canada 1986, a watercolour poster print for Expo86 by Thomas J. Huntley. I hadn’t noticed this print before, but I recently encountered it in a local thrift shop. If you’re looking to round out your 80s decor, this poster print might be it!

Alas, I didn’t buy it myself, and I’ve only seen it once…

Gastown of the 1990s, a realist painting of Water Street and the Gastown Steam Clock by Paul Rupert. Paul Rupert (1946-2013) was a Canadian realist painter who trained under Arthur Lismer of the Group of Seven. From his obituary in the National Post:

Paul obtained his formal training at the school of art and design of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, where he studied under the late Arthur Lismer (Group of Seven) and at Concordia University. His unique use of the palette knife and oil paints earned him worldwide recognition in such noted collections as: Royal Bank of Canada, Corby's Distilleries, International Bankers Club in Hong Kong, Molson Breweries, Montreal Stock Exchange, Canadian Embassy in Washington, Governments of Alberta and Ontario, Canada House and Ontario House in London, England, The National Gallery, The Claridge Collection, Lower Canada College and many others. Paul was commissioned to paint many of North America's renowned golf courses including The Royal Montreal Golf Club, The Shaughnessy Golf Club in Vancouver, Nicklaus North, Chateau Whistler, and The Augusta National Golf Club.

You can date the painting to around 1994 or beyond, not from the cars which are mostly from the 1980s, but from the Starbucks located at Water and Cambie Streets. This location operated there from 1994-2022, when it was announced in January it had closed permanently after 28 years at this location.

I don't see many other paintings around Vancouver by Paul, and I can't find a record of any major shows he had here, though it is quite likely he did exhibit work here at some point, especially with this poster as evidence, and his work with the Shaughnessy Golf Club. If you spot more of Rupert's local work, let me know!

Posted to Facebook recently is the above illustration from the Georgia Straight’s Spring Arts Preview. Illustrated by Mark ‘Atomos’ Pilon, it is a homage to the former Straight cartoonist Rand Holmes, whom I have featured here before. You can click the FB link above to see the animated version of the above cover.

Fighting WWII with editorial cartoons…Jack Boothe, cartoonist since age 8.

Jack was a Province cartoonist at the start of WWII, and he also produced two comic books during the war. First, his "Accent on Axis" was published in 1940 and featured 50 cartoons, followed by "Heeling Hitler" in 1941 which featured 63. Each staple-bound booklet featured Anti-Nazi editorial cartoons that ran in the paper in the past year. In 1943, Boothe left for a newspaper post in the east, first with the Globe and Mail, then various others. He returned to Vancouver later in life to work for the News Herald. I’ve included a couple undated cartoons noted as July 1944 in the Vancouver Archives. The Province typically featured their editorial comic on numbered page 4, though sometimes the cartoonist would also illustrate various stories throughout the paper, as needed. By 1945, Claude Dettloff photographs could be seen substituted for the editorial cartoons on page 4. Claude was the photographer who took the 'Wait for me Daddy' photograph. Sadly, according to the last article shown here, Boothe was working on a book about cartooning in Canada for the Federal Government, but it seems that manuscript was never finished.

Various works spotted for resale, these prints offer a period picturesque look back. From Kiff Holland circa 1986; B. Hemphill in 1978 (this MIGHT be Barbara Gail Hemphill, but it’s not necessarily her style. Maybe she took a printmaking workshop at Granville Island or something. “Barbara Hemphill August 13, 1947 - October 23, 1995 was an important member of the Alcuin Society who in the early 1980s worked tirelessly on the Art of the Book Exhibition…” regardless if it’s Barbara or not, it’s quite good); Robb Dunfield in 1995; and Raymond Chow, ca 1975.

What is perhaps the most anticipated new book on Canadian art in recent memory, this new volume on E.J. Hughes’ wartime body of work is an astounding look at an exceptional collection. I’ve been eagerly awaiting this book for the past few years, as Robert Amos has gradually released a series of finely crafted books on one of British Columbia’s, or I should say Canada’s most famous artists. The titles include E. J. Hughes Paints British Columbia, E. J. Hughes Paints Vancouver Island, The E. J. Hughes Book of Boats, and now, E. J. Hughes: Canadian War Artist. Actually, the book was released in the fall of 2022, and I really should have posted a review before Christmas, but I have made it my New Years resolution to make amends.

In early 1939, just as the young artist was emerging from the Great Depression, along with Orville Fisher and Paul Goranson, Hughes helped to produce the remarkable 12 panel mural for the Golden Gate International Exhibition in San Francisco. This exhibition was an extravagant event (an entire island was created in San Francisco Bay for the occasion) which featured the high ideals of combining fine art, architecture, and global culture for the betterment of humanity, much like the Arts & Crafts movement had sought to do decades earlier. Alas, the outbreak of war shattered many of those ambitions, and the artist Hughes quickly changed course and enlisted in the Canadian Army on August 30, 1939.

His two colleagues Fisher and Goranson would ultimately follow him into military service, as would another young Vancouver artist, Jack Shadbolt. Frankly, each one of these artists deserves a wartime exposition of their artwork, but for now, we have this volume to initiate the study of this tumultuous time.

The book showcases 70 paintings, drawings, and sketches from the Canadian War Museum, all prizes of the collection but works that are rarely seen in one place. E. J. Hughes created these during the artist’s war service in Ottawa, England, Wales, and Alaska. To keep things closer to home, for the last image above, I’ve included a sketch of Lt. Col. F.W. Guernsey, Mining Engineer, a portrait made at Stanley Park Fort in 1940 (not included in this book, but found in recent online auction archives). For a more in-depth review of the book, I invite you to refer to this Remembrance Day feature by the author. 

From the book’s description:

“In this, the third volume [actually, you could say fourth - The E. J. Hughes Book of Boats is a smaller edition, but still stands on it’s own] of an award-winning series on artist E.J. Hughes (1913–2007), Robert Amos turns his focus to Hughes’s service in the Second World War.”

Tim Cook, the Director of Research at the Canadian War Museum writes about the artist:

“As an artist in uniform during the Second World War, E. J. Hughes created a profound legacy of war art for future generations to empathize, imagine, and re-imagine the Canadian military experience. In this definitive history of Hughes’s contributions, Robert Amos offers a penetrating study based on unique archival material and a deep analysis into hundreds of wartime works of art. The war shaped Hughes, leading to period of great creativity that propelled him forward to become one of Canada’s most recognized west coast artists."  —from the book The Fight for History: 75 Years of Forgetting, Remembering, and Remaking of Canada’s Second World War.

E. J. Hughes: Canadian War Artist

Publisher: https://www.touchwoodeditions.com/book/e-j-hughes-canadian-war-artist/

A pair of paintings by Robert Coventry (1892-1967), not to be mistaken for Robert McGown Coventry (1855-1941). Gary Sim has a full profile on the artist who spent a large portion of his life in Vancouver. Here’s an excerpt:

Robert Coventry was born in Liminge, Kent, England. He came to Canada c1908, and arrived in BC c1929. He was married to Ida Spencer Burnup.

He exhibited in the 1920 Annual Exhibition of the B.C. Society of Fine Arts, held at the Vancouver School Board offices on Hamilton Street.

He exhibited in numerous annual B.C. Artist exhibitions at the VAG, from 1933 to 1951. In 1935 his address was noted as Ballantyne, Alberta.

In 1932 he was a signatory to an agreement to boycott the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa for their exhibition and purchase policies related to Canadian artists. He was noted as being a Vancouver artist...

...He retired from a lifetime of work as a municipal draughtsman in 1958, and died in North Vancouver at the age of 74 in 1967.

The first painting appeared recently at Finn’s Auction House in Abbotsford; the second midcentury skyline of the city appeared some time ago on eBay, but was mislabeled as a work by the other Coventry, Robert McGown Coventry. I can’t tell if it actually sold, and what the description was beyond "Listed Scottish artist- R. Mc. Coventry - 20th C. O/B - 24" x 20". Signed". It’s a great skyline of the city, back when the Hotel Vancouver was one of the iconic tall buildings in the city.

The early waterfront of North Vancouver, a mural painting by Ron Williams. From inside the new IGA on the Esplanade.