Captivating Tom Thomson Exhibition Travels to Whistler

WHISTLER, BC, May 29, 2024 /CNW/ – The Audain Art Museum (AAM) proudly announces the upcoming Special Exhibition, Tom Thomson: North Star, opening to the public on Saturday, June 29, 2024. This captivating selection of over one hundred paintings, which is the largest ever displayed, will delve into the extraordinary talent and enduring legacy of Tom Thomson, one of Canada’s most iconic artists.

   Thomson’s catalytic achievement transformed Canadian painting forever. Despite an untimely death, his role as an “artistic voice in the wilderness” prefaced the arrival of the famous Group of Seven. With a unique place in Canadian culture, each generation continues to reckon with his legacy, bringing fresh perspectives on such timeless art. Tom Thomson: North Star features a brilliant array of landscapes from the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and the National Gallery of Canada, as well as pieces from public and private collections across Canada, offering audiences a fresh view of this luminary talent.

   Michael Audain, Chair of the Audain Foundation, remarked, “Our family foundation is delighted to support the Tom Thomson: North Star exhibition. Thomson was an extraordinarily talented artist who, during his short time of art making, made a profound contribution to Canadian art. To be able to experience a significant part of his remarkable body of work together in one place is a special opportunity for any art enthusiast.”

   Dr. Curtis Collins, Director & Chief Curator of the Audain Art Museum, stated, “North Star is the most important historical exhibition that the AAM has hosted since opening to the public in 2016. Visitors to the Museum will marvel at Thomson’s ability to evoke the ruggedness of Ontario’s northern lakefronts, which is a perfect compliment to our superlative collection of Emily Carr paintings that capture British Columbia’s towering forests.”

   Co-curated by Ian Dejardin and Sarah Milroy, of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ontario, this Special Exhibition will present Thomson’s oil sketches both chronologically and thematically, to reveal the essence of his vision and moments of artistic experimentation. A full-colour hard cover book with contributions by Ian A.C. Dejardin, Sarah Milroy, Algonquin historian Christine McRae Luckasavitch, cultural historian Douglas Hunter, and contemporary Canadian artists Ben Reeves, Sandra Meigs, and Zachari Logan accompanies Tom Thomson: North Star and is available for purchase in the Museum Shop.

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     Tom Thomson: North Star is made possible by Presenting Sponsor, the Audain Foundation, Major Sponsor, D.R. Sobey Foundation, Supporting Sponsors, Heffel Fine Art Auction House, Toys R Us, and VBCE, Government Partners, Resort Municipality of Whistler and the Government of Canada, and Hotel Sponsor, Fairmont Chateau Whistler. This exhibition is generously supported by Sue Roop.

About the Audain Art Museum

Established in 2016, the Museum was founded via a major philanthropic gift of Michael Audain and Yoshiko Karasawa. The Permanent Collection is focused on the art of British Columbia, exemplifying the richness of cultural difference in Canada. Highlights include hereditary Haida Chief James Hart’s The Dance Screen, an exceptional collection of historical and contemporary Indigenous art, a comprehensive selection of paintings by Emily Carr and a brilliant range of works by Vancouver’s photo-conceptualists. The Museum hosts numerous special exhibitions per year that feature artists and collections of national as well as international significance.

SOURCE Audain Art Museum

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