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On the Road

Northern Lights at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum

novembre 6, 2025 — Sadie Evans
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Tom Thomson (1877–1917), Tamaracks, 1915, oil on wood panel, 21.3 x 26.7 cm, Gift of Mr. R.A. Laidlaw, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1968.12

In January, masterpieces from the McMichael’s permanent collection traveled across the Atlantic to Fondation Beyeler in Riehen, Switzerland for the exhibition Northern Lights. That journey now continues a little closer to home, with the exhibition now open at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum.

Featuring 74 extraordinary works created between 1888 and 1937, Northern Lights unites visionary Canadian artists Emily Carr, Lawren S. Harris, and Tom Thomson with European masters such as Hilma af Klint and Edvard Munch. Though separated by geography, each was drawn to the same source of inspiration—the northern forest, with its vast landscapes, shifting light, and profound spiritual resonance.

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Emily Carr (1871–1945), Reforestation, 1936, oil on canvas, 110 x 67.2 cm, Gift of the Founders, Robert and Signe McMichael, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1966.16.17
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Lawren S. Harris (1885–1970), Montreal River, c. 1920, oil on paperboard, 27 x 34.7 cm, Gift of the Founders, Robert and Signe McMichael, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1966.16.77 © Family of Lawren S. Harris

Among the highlights are treasures from the McMichael’s collection—Emily Carr’s Reforestation (1936), Tom Thomson’s Tamaracks (1915), and Lawren S. Harris’s Montreal River (c.1920)—each a testament to the enduring spirit of the North. We are honoured to see these works placed in dialogue with their Nordic counterparts in this remarkable exchange of geographies, histories, and artistic visions.

Northern Lights will be on view at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum until January 12, 2026.

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