Maud Lewis

June 29, 2019 – January 26, 2020

Delight in the colour, charm and cheer of Atlantic Canada through the eyes of one of Canada’s most beloved folk artists.

One of Canada’s most beloved folk artists, Maud Lewis (1903 – 1970) was famous in her lifetime for her brightly coloured and endearing paintings of rural Nova Scotia. Working from her cabin on the side of the highway in Marshalltown, in Digby County, she produced hundreds of small works that captured aspects of country life that were rapidly changing.

Maud Lewis (1903 – 1970) Untitled (White Cats with Blue Eyes), c.1965 oil on board 35 x 40.5 cm Private Collection © Art Gallery of Nova Scotia

Until now, the story of her difficult life has dominated the discussion of her art: her triumph over her physical disabilities and poverty, the harsh treatment she received at the hands of her family, and her alliance by chance with her husband Everett Lewis, who enabled her successful painting career over many decades. This show, however, will stress the aesthetic aspect of Maud Lewis’s achievement, looking carefully at her serial repetition of images and motifs across her career, and the dizzying variety that she brings to the problem of picture making. From her black cats and kittens, to her cart horses and oxen hauling logs, to her quayside scenes of ships in port and the Maritime landscape in all seasons, Maud Lewis made paintings that still delight in their optimism and buoyant vitality.

The exhibition is made possible through loans from leading Nova Scotian private collections, and features many works never before seen in public museums. An accompanying exhibition catalogue will be presented alongside the exhibition, featuring a comprehensive selection of these rarely-seen artworks from private collections.

21 festive greeting cards by Maud Lewis have just been added!

Maud’s “first experiments in art were with her mother, creating hand-painted Christmas greeting carads that they sold door to door.” The cards will be on display for the remainder of the exhibition.