Loading Events

River of Dreams:
Impressionism on the St. Lawrence

June 22, 2024 – February 17, 2025

Painting showing two women in long summer dresses, on the beach, one is standing, both scour the horizon

Clarence Alphonse Gagnon (1881–1942), On the Beach of Baie St. Paul, 1909, oil on board, 15.9 x 23.5 cm, private collection. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid.

In the late 19th century, the Impressionist movement found a footing in Canada, and Quebec artists quickly responded with works of rare beauty and sophistication. Many Quebec artists trained in France during this period, carrying the pollen of European modernism back with them to Canadian soil. Landscape and city scenes were staples of their work, and this show will assemble a choice collection of master works that trace a journey from the bustling streets of Montreal—then Canada’s financial capital—down the St. Lawrence River to Quebec City and through the beloved Charlevoix region.

The exhibition offers not just a magisterial statement on the outstanding quality of Quebec painting, but also a glimpse into the heart and soul of a culture, seen through the eyes of her most beloved and foundational artists. The survey includes works by William Brymner, Ozias Leduc, James Wilson Morrice, Henrietta Mabel May, Robert Pilot, Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, Maurice Cullen, Clarence Gagnon, and others, and is drawn from a host of public and private collections. To accent these works, archival photography and objects of material culture from the period deepen the viewer’s experience of the moment in which the artists were working. The result is an immersive time-travel experience like no other.

Curated by Anne-Marie Bouchard and Sarah Milroy.

For media inquiries and more information, please visit the Press Room.

Le Fleuve des rêves : l’impressionnisme et le Saint-Laurent

Présenté à partir du 22 juin, Le Fleuve des rêves : l’impressionnisme et le Saint-Laurent examinera comment le Québec s’est approprié ce mouvement pictural, dont la première exposition parisienne a eu lieu il y a tout juste 150 ans. Nombre d’artistes québécois se sont formés en France et ont adopté le modernisme européen, qu’ils ont ensuite rapporté avec eux au Canada. Ces artistes se sont fait remarquer par leurs paysages colorés et leurs scènes urbaines animées.

L’exposition réunit d’ailleurs un ensemble remarquable de chefs-d’œuvre qui nous font voyager le long du Saint-Laurent, depuis les rues grouillantes d’activité de Montréal − alors capitale financière du pays – jusqu’à la région de Charlevoix, en passant par Québec et la Côte-de-Beaupré. Un large éventail d’artistes québécois, rarement exposés en Ontario, seront représentés, parmi lesquels William Brymner, Ozias Leduc, James Wilson Morrice, Henrietta Mabel May, Robert Pilot Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, Maurice Cullen et Clarence Gagnon. L’exposition propose également un voyage immersif dans le temps grâce des photos d’archives, des textiles et de la poterie provenant de la région.

Anne-Marie Bouchard et Sarah Milroy ont assuré le commissariat de l’exposition, laquelle s’accompagne d’un catalogue de 256 pages, publié par les Éditions Goose Lane.

John Geoghegan – Curator’s Walk & Talk

The works of Robert Pilot in River of Dreams: Impressionism on the St. Lawrence

Wednesday, November 13, 2024 | 2 pm

Free with gallery admission. Registration required.

Curatorial Talk

James Wilson Morrice in North Africa

Sunday, November 24, 2024 | 2 pm

Free with gallery admission. Registration required.

River of Dreams books

Buy the Book

River of Dreams:
Impressionism on the St. Lawrence

at the Gallery Shop

Videos

sponsors list