Joan Murray (art historian)

Last updated

Joan Murray
JoanMurray.jpg
Born
Joan Arden Charlat Murray

(1943-08-12) August 12, 1943 (age 81)
New York City, United States
Nationality Canadian
Occupations
Known for Tom Thomson catalogue; museum director; curator; writing

Joan Arden Charlat Murray OOnt FRSC (born August 12, 1943) is an American-born Canadian art historian, writer and curator.

Contents

Education and personal life

Joan Charlat was born in New York City in 1943. [1] She moved to Canada in 1959 to marry W. Ross Murray (1930–2020) and studied art history at the University of Toronto, receiving an Honours B.A. (1965). Murray completed an M.A. at Columbia University in 1966. [1] [2]

Career

In 1968 she took a position as the head of education at the Art Gallery of Ontario; in 1969 she became Research Curator, and following that became the first Curator of Canadian Art (1970–1973). At the Gallery, she also served as the Acting Chief Curator (1972). [2] From 1974 [3] to 1999, Murray served as Director of the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa. [4] From 2005–2006, Murray served as the Interim Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer [5] of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ontario after the unexpected resignation of Vincent Varga. [6] [7]

As one of only seven female art curators in Canada at the time of her AGO appointment, Murray advocated for the role of women in curatorial roles. She believed women were well-suited for these nurturing, essentially administrative roles. [2]

Writing

Murray has written extensively on the Group of Seven, particularly Tom Thomson. She has prepared a catalogue raisonné of his work, a project which took over fifty years. [8] [9] She also has authored many books on the history of Canadian art, [10] [11] most notably Canadian Art in the Twentieth Century (1999), [12] Northern Lights: Masterpieces of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven (1994), [13] [14] McMichael Canadian Art Collection: One Hundred Masterworks (2006), and Laura Muntz Lyall: Impressions of Women and Childhood (2012). She has published over one hundred catalogues and two hundred articles on subjects ranging from folk art to contemporary artists. [4] [15] Her collection of papers and over 600 interviews with artists [16] are stored in Library and Archives Canada. [17]

Honours

Murray was elected to the Royal Society of Canada in 1992; [18] and in 1993, received the Senior Award from the Association of Cultural Executives for her contributions to Canadian cultural life. [19] She received the Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Ontario Association of Art Galleries in 2000. [19] She received the Order of Ontario in 2003, [4] and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. [20] Murray was selected as University College, University of Toronto 2013 Alumni of Influence in 2013. [21]

Books

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Group of Seven (artists)</span> Group of Canadian landscape painters (1920–1933)

The Group of Seven, once known as the Algonquin School, was a group of Canadian landscape painters from 1920 to 1933, with "a like vision". It originally consisted of Franklin Carmichael (1890–1945), Lawren Harris (1885–1970), A. Y. Jackson (1882–1974), Frank Johnston (1888–1949), Arthur Lismer (1885–1969), J. E. H. MacDonald (1873–1932), and Frederick Varley (1881–1969). A. J. Casson (1898–1992) was invited to join in 1926, Edwin Holgate (1892–1977) became a member in 1930, and Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald (1890–1956) joined in 1932.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Thomson</span> Canadian painter (1877–1917)

Thomas John Thomson was a Canadian artist active in the early 20th century. During his short career, he produced roughly 400 oil sketches on small wood panels and approximately 50 larger works on canvas. His works consist almost entirely of landscapes, depicting trees, skies, lakes, and rivers. He used broad brush strokes and a liberal application of paint to capture the beauty and colour of the Ontario landscape. Thomson's accidental death by drowning at 39 shortly before the founding of the Group of Seven is seen as a tragedy for Canadian art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawren Harris</span> Canadian painter (1885–1970)

Lawren Stewart Harris LL. D. was a Canadian painter, best known as one of the founding members of the Group of Seven. He played a key role as a catalyst in Canadian art, as a visionary in Canadian landscape art and in the development of modern art in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Carmichael</span> 20th-century Canadian artist

Franklin Carmichael was a Canadian artist and member of the Group of Seven. Though he was primarily famous for his use of watercolours, he also used oil paints, charcoal and other media to capture the Ontario landscapes. Besides his work as a painter, he worked as a designer and illustrator, creating promotional brochures, advertisements in newspapers and magazines, and designing books. Near the end of his life, Carmichael taught in the Graphic Design and Commercial Art Department at the Ontario College of Art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. E. H. MacDonald</span> English-Canadian artist

James Edward Hervey MacDonald (1873–1932) was an English-Canadian artist, best known as a member of the Group of Seven who asserted a distinct national identity combined with a common heritage stemming from early modernism in Europe in the early twentieth century. He was the father of the illustrator, graphic artist and designer Thoreau MacDonald.

<i>The Jack Pine</i> Painting by Tom Thomson

The Jack Pine is a well-known oil painting by Canadian artist Tom Thomson. A representation of the most broadly distributed pine species in Canada, it is considered an iconic image of the country's landscape, and is one of the country's most widely recognized and reproduced artworks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Cruikshank (painter)</span> British painter

William Cruikshank was a British painter and the grand-nephew of George Cruikshank. He studied art at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, at the Royal Academy School in London with Frederic Leighton and John Everett Millais, and in Paris at the Atelier Yvon. His last studies were interrupted by the Franco-Prussian War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Painters Eleven</span>

Painters Eleven was a group of abstract artists active in Canada between 1953 and 1960. They are associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement.

<i>The West Wind</i> (painting) Painting by Tom Thomson

The West Wind is a 1917 painting by Canadian artist Tom Thomson. An iconic image, the pine tree at its centre has been described as growing "in the national ethos as our one and only tree in a country of trees". It was painted in the last year of Thomson's life and was one of his final works on canvas. The painting, and a sketch for the painting, are displayed at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Alice Elinor Lambert (1886–1981) was an American romance writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian art</span>

Canadian art refers to the visual as well as plastic arts originating from the geographical area of contemporary Canada. Art in Canada is marked by thousands of years of habitation by Indigenous peoples followed by waves of immigration which included artists of European origins and subsequently by artists with heritage from countries all around the world. The nature of Canadian art reflects these diverse origins, as artists have taken their traditions and adapted these influences to reflect the reality of their lives in Canada.

Dennis Richard Reid was a Canadian curator and art historian whose exhibitions and catalogues were praised by peers as "impressive" and scholarship "coherent" and "commendable".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabel McLaughlin</span> Canadian artist (1903-2002)

Isabel McLaughlin, was a Modernist Canadian painter, patron and philanthropist. She specialized in landscapes and still life and had a strong interest in design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rody Kenny Courtice</span> Canadian artist

Rody Kenny Courtice was a modernist Canadian painter. She was associated with the Group of Seven early in her career, but later developed a more individual style. She was active in associations of artists and worked for the professionalization of their occupation. She also was an educator.

James Metcalfe MacCallum (1860–1943) was a Canadian ophthalmologist and one of the most important patrons of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven.

<i>The Indian Church</i> (painting) 1929 painting by Emily Carr

The Indian Church is a 1929 painting by Canadian artist Emily Carr. Group of Seven artist Lawren Harris bought the painting to showcase it in his dining room, and called it Carr's best work. In 1930, the work was shown in the Fifth Annual Exhibition of Canadian Art organised by the National Gallery of Canada. In 1938, the painting was chosen for an exhibition titled A Century of Canadian Art, at the Tate Gallery. The exhibition was described by Vincent Massey as "a most representative showing of Canadian painting and sculpture, including all schools and all periods."

<i>Northern River</i> (painting) Painting by Tom Thomson

Northern River is a 1914–15 oil painting by Canadian painter Tom Thomson. The work was inspired by a sketch completed over the same winter, possibly in Algonquin Park. The completed canvas is large, measuring 115.1 × 102.0 cm. Painted over the winter of 1914–15, it was completed in Thomson's shack behind the Studio Building in Toronto. The painting was produced as he was entering the peak of his short art career and is considered one of his most notable works. In 1915 it was purchased by the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa and has remained in the collection ever since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artistic development of Tom Thomson</span> The artistic development of Tom Thomson

Tom Thomson (1877–1917) was a Canadian painter from the beginning of the 20th century. Beginning from humble roots, his development as a career painter was meteoric, only pursuing it seriously in the final years of his life. He became one of the foremost figures in Canadian art, leaving behind around 400 small oil sketches and around fifty larger works on canvas.

<i>Spring Ice</i> Painting by Tom Thomson

Spring Ice is a 1915–16 oil painting by Canadian painter Tom Thomson. The work was inspired by a sketch completed on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park. The completed canvas is large, measuring 72.0 cm × 102.3 cm. Painted over the winter of 1915–16, it was completed in Thomson's shack behind the Studio Building in Toronto. The painting was produced as he was in the peak of his short art career and is considered one of his most notable works. While exhibited in a show put on by the Ontario Society of Artists, the work received mixed to positive reviews. In 1916 it was purchased by the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa and has remained in the collection ever since.

<i>Drowned Land</i> 1912 oil sketch by Canadian painter Tom Thomson

Drowned Land is a 1912 oil sketch by the 20th-century Canadian painter Tom Thomson.

References

  1. 1 2 Murray, Joan. "Joan Murray | Life". Joan Murray Art Website. Archived from the original on April 15, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "Proposed gallery impresses curator". The Windsor Star. April 27, 1973. p. 36. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  3. "Robert McLaughlin Gallery". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "Joan Murray - 2013 Award Recipient". www.uc.utoronto.ca. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  5. "Governor General to open new art exhibition 'The McMichael Canadian Art Collection at Rideau Hall". Government of Canada. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  6. "Former AGO curator appointed at McMichael". Globe and Mail. November 29, 2004. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  7. "McMichael art gallery names new president". Globe and Mail. February 9, 2006. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  8. "Tom Thomson's 'last painting' expected to sell for between $500,000 and $700,000 at Toronto auction". National Post. October 28, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  9. Murray, Joan. "Tom Thomson Catalogue Raisonné" . Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  10. Lehmann, Henry (December 7, 2002). "Group of Seven in the garden". The Gazette. p. 119. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  11. "Joan Murray: 164 Works (search results)". Internet Archive: Open Library. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  12. Kellogg, Alan (December 13, 1999). "How artists saw Canada for 100 years". Edmonton Journal. p. 20. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  13. Mandel, Charles (December 4, 1994). "Art books not necessarily a boring proposition". Edmonton Journal. p. 46. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  14. "Picture Perfect". Maclean's: 57. 1994. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  15. Osborne, Catherine (2000). "Review of Murray's Canadian Art in the Twentieth Century". quillandquire.com. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  16. "Joan Murray fonds (Vol. 1-21)" (PDF). Collectionscanada archives.gc.ca. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  17. "Joan Murray fonds". Library and Archives Canada. July 20, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  18. "RSC Membership List". RSC. June 13, 2019.
  19. 1 2 Murray, Joan (2003). Lawren Harris : an introduction to his life and art. Toronto, Ont. ISBN   1-55297-763-3. OCLC   51925178.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  20. "Recipients". The Governor General of Canada. June 11, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  21. "Alumni of Influence | University College U of T". www.uc.utoronto.ca. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  22. Johnson, Eve (November 22, 1984). "The Hardy boys of art". The Vancouver Sun. p. 45. Retrieved August 1, 2020.