The Beaver Hall Group and Its Legacy

By: Evelyn Walters

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Synopsis: An exploration into Montreal’s Beaver Hall Group and its legacy of women painters who now rank among Canada’s most outstanding artists. Today it is difficult to imagine that the art of Montreal’s Beaver Hall Group was once shocking. As these Modernists struggled against academic art, critics such as Samuel Morgan-Powell ranted — “rough,” “meaningless” “blatant plastering and massing of unpleasant colours in weird landscapes” — and likened their paintings to the “cacophonous riot of metallic yowlings” of jazz that was invading the city. Moreover, unlike their contemporaries, the Group of Seven, the Beaver Hall Group dared to break with tradition and accept women members. The result was a legacy of some of the finest women painters Canada has so far produced. In 2005, Evelyn Walters gave them deserved attention in her acclaimed book, The Women of Beaver Hall: Canadian Modernist Painters. Now, a follow-up, The Beaver Hall Group and Its Legacy delves into the engrossing life stories of the twenty-five artists who belonged to the Beaver Hall Group and the Women of Beaver Hall. Over seventy-five images gleaned from museums and private collections highlight the work of these pioneering artists who changed the course of Canadian art. Written for student and scholar alike, The Beaver Hall Group and Its Legacy is a must for every art lover’s library.