A valuable art history guide to the in-depth Unheralded Artists of BC series.
This small attractive full-colour book, will gather thirteen forgotten and accomplished artists from the acclaimed Unheralded Artists of BC series (ten books), in one place, for the first time. A summary of each artist’s life and art from the early 1900’s to the 1980s, will tempt art and history lovers to investigate the in-depth series more fully. In British Columbia between 1900 and the 1960s over 16,000 artists worked and lived. It was the height of an immense creative surge in the province. Beyond the handful of names of successful artists there is little documented evidence of the other artists of those times. Art was made invisible by socioeconomic or political forces and also by a lack of public galleries. “Those artists that worked the system got recognition and those that didn’t, disappeared from view.”–Lorna Farrell-Ward, former curator at the Vancouver Art Gallery
"The Pocket Guide provides a capsule history of thirteen artists who made contributions to the Canadian art historical cannon. The individual stories offer insight into the lives of the artists, the forces that drove their creative output and the challenges they faced in order to pursue their chosen profession. The collection as a whole is an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to better understand the breadth of the art scene in Canada during the first half of the 20th century." —Ellen van Eijnsbergen, Director/Curator, Burnaby Art Gallery
"This beautiful publication brings together the wealth of art previously published on these individual unheralded artists of the West Coast. Above all it tells the stories of lives LIVED, euphoric breakthroughs, debilitating self-doubt, acceptance and rejection. Their art speaks to us intellectually, philosophically and spiritually, through the multiplicity and evolvement of their visual language. It shows the diversity in the collective rather than the individual in revealing the story of art during a particular time, the power of which we as future artists can build on in the knowledge that 'life is short but art is long.'"—Deon Venter, Artist
"History is what keeps up alive today. These biographical accounts of some of Western Canada's respected visual artists show Mother Tongue Publishing’s skill in piecing together the wide range of talent and creativity that is woven into the fabric of BC life. Wonderful accounts of their struggles and successes leaving us a legacy and record not to be forgotten." —Matt Petley-Jones, Petley Jones Gallery, Dealers in Contemporary and Historical Art