Description
The story of artists in Western Canada, and how they changed the face of Canadian art
“Listen to the visual voices of artists. They tell us so poignantly who we are, what we must cherish, and what we must address as a society.”
Patricia Bovey
Throughout her remarkable career as a gallery director, curator, and author, Patricia Bovey has tirelessly championed the work of Western Canadian artists. Western Voices in Canadian Art brings this lifelong passion to a crescendo, delivering the most ambitious survey of Western Canadian Art to date.
Beginning with the earliest European-trained artists in Western Canada, and moving up to present day, Bovey amplifies the depth, scope, and importance of the diverse artists (both settler and Indigenous) whose distinct voices have contributed to the Western Canadian artistic tradition. Bovey then adopts a thematic approach, richly informed by her knowledge and experience, connecting art and artists through time and across provincial boundaries.
Insights from Bovey’s studio visits and conversations with artists enhance our understandings of the history and trajectory of, and impetus for Canadian artistic creation. Lavishly illustrated with over 250 works reproduced in full colour, Western Voices in Canadian Art is a book that needs to be seen, and its artists and art celebrated.
Reviews
Written by Patricia Bovey, whose long and distinguished career as a gallery director and curator has uniquely positioned her to undertake this work, _Western Voices_ is a much-needed counter- balance to previous Canadian art histories weighted towards the cultural centres of Toronto and Montreal.
- Preview Magazine
In this comprehensive new book, Patricia Bovey, an art historian, academic, gallery director and just-retired Manitoba senator, addresses this marginalization, not just by focusing on visual art in the West, but also by challenging the conventional structures and approaches that have historically divided art into the centre and the margins.
- Alison Gillmor