River of Dreams at the Canadian Museum of History
On November 20, 2025, towering totem poles watched over a crowd of more than 700 guests gathered in the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, to celebrate the opening of River of Dreams: Impressionism on the St. Lawrence, organized by the McMichael. After opening remarks, the crowd poured onto the escalators leading to the exhibition halls. The galleries quickly filled to capacity, and a long queue began to form. The CMH team managed the excitement with grace, and those who waited were richly rewarded.
River of Dreams marks a historic milestone: the first exhibition at this scale organized in English Canada to spotlight the Quebec Impressionists. Conceived as a journey down the St. Lawrence through the eyes of these beloved artists, it begins with the urban and industrial energy of Montreal, where horse-drawn carts and Gothic Revival architecture coexist with electric lights and streetcar trolleys. The journey continues through the lush hills and sunlit farms of Mont-Saint-Hilaire and Arthabaska to reach Quebec City, alive with history and the bustle of its industrial port. The final chapters of the show revel in the pastoral beauty of Côte de Beaupré, and the charm of Charlevoix homesteads, set against a backdrop of sublime Laurentian peaks.
In addition to the geographical journey, a time-travel effect is conjured in this staging of the exhibition at CMH. Interspersed among the paintings are objects that once shaped daily life in early twentieth-century Quebec: earthenware jugs, handwoven textiles, and Kanien’kehá:ka beadwork drawn from the CMH’s holdings, including snowshoes, ice-cutting tools, garments, and even a sleigh. The museum’s talented designers ensured that the overall effect is pitched to perfection. The experience is truly magical.
If you’re in the capital region over the holidays and beyond, don’t miss River of Dreams and all that CMH has to offer.
River of Dreams: Impressionism on the St. Lawrence on view at the Canadian Museum of History, Photos courtesy of CMH dian Museum of History, Photos courtesy of CMH
River of Dreams: Impressionism on the St. Lawrence on view at the Canadian Museum of History, Photos courtesy of CMH
River of Dreams: Impressionism on the St. Lawrence on view at the Canadian Museum of History, Photos courtesy of CMH
River of Dreams: Impressionism on the St. Lawrence on view at the Canadian Museum of History, Photos courtesy of CMH
River of Dreams: Impressionism on the St. Lawrence on view at the Canadian Museum of History, Photos courtesy of CMH
River of Dreams: Impressionism on the St. Lawrence on view at the Canadian Museum of History, Photos courtesy of CMH
River of Dreams: Impressionism on the St. Lawrence on view at the Canadian Museum of History, Photos courtesy of CMH
River of Dreams: Impressionism on the St. Lawrence on view at the Canadian Museum of History, Photos courtesy of CMH
River of Dreams: Impressionism on the St. Lawrence on view at the Canadian Museum of History, Photos courtesy of CMH
River of Dreams: Impressionism on the St. Lawrence
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