Emily Carr Art

An example of how pop artist Andy Warhol might have painted Carr in the sixties.

March 2 - October 10, 2011

"Go beyond the image to explore the life of Emily Carr, a woman ahead of her time."

By Elodie Adams

A glimpse into the life of Emily Carr has been given a new twist at the Royal BC Museum this year. Its current exhibit, The Other Emily: Redefining Emily Carr, is the result of the collaboration between exhibition curator Kathryn Bridge and Canadian portraitist and contemporary artist Manon Elder.

What makes this exhibit unique is the approach taken by both women to reveal a lesser-known side to the artist, especially during the period of her younger years. According to Bridge, the aim of the exhibit is to show the 'behind the scenes' aspect of Emily Carr's personality, especially in the early years of her life.

"You see this historical photograph of Emily Carr when she was 5 years old," said Bridge, "it served as an inspiration point for Manon to create a portrait of Carr based on the photograph, which in turn served as an inspiration for me to look into our collection and find something that illustrates that."

 Elder, who began her work on Carr nine years ago, took her inspiration from archived historical photographs, using them as a springboard to create portrayals of the artist in different ways.

 "As my work with the photos progressed," said Elder, "I came up with a new concept. And that concept was, 'How would other painters have depicted Emily Carr in their own style?'" Visitors will find the answer to Elder's question when they see The Pearl, a portrait based on Renoir's La Loge, or again from her set of four headshots of Carr, done in the manner of Andy Warhol.

Artifacts and archival objects complement the display of paintings and photographs, making The Other Emily a multi-dimensional historical journey of Carr's life.

The exhibition comprises 20 original framed works of art by Emily Carr, including one painting on public display for the first time (Church of our Lord, ca 1895); 20 rare photographic images of the young Emily Carr; historic artifacts; archival Carr documents (letters, sketchbook, drawings, etc.); and 18 new works by Elder.

The exhibition is on until October 10, 2011.