Please note that there are mandatory coat and bag check guidelines in place for the exhibition Tom Thomson: North Star. Learn more here.
Tom Thomson (1877–1917) is indisputably Canada’s preeminent modern painter, an artist whose unprecedented brilliance blazed the trail for the formation of the Group of Seven in the wake of his tragic death in 1917 at Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park. This exhibition offers a close look at Thomson’s legacy, focusing on the oil sketch, of which he is the supreme master. Bringing together an unparalleled selection of artworks from the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and the National Gallery of Canada, as well as a host of other Canadian museums and private collections, Tom Thomson: North Star presents a rare opportunity to access a comprehensive view of Thomson’s oeuvre. An account of the artist fit for the 21st century, this retrospective exhibition isolates key moments of Thomson’s artistic experimentation, explores his evolving public persona as the quintessential outdoorsman and considers his oeuvre within the framework of the international art of his time.
This exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated colour catalogue featuring essays by curators Ian A.C. Dejardin and Sarah Milroy, Algonquin historian Christine McRae Luckasavitch and historian and artist Douglas Hunter, as well as appreciations by contemporary artists Ben Reeves, Sandra Meigs and Zachari Logan.
Organized and circulated by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection with the exceptional support of the National Gallery of Canada. Curated by Ian A.C. Dejardin and Sarah Milroy. Supported by the Government of Canada / Avec l’appui du gouvernement du Canada. Sponsored by Heffel.