Katerina Atanassova

Frederick Horsman Varley was unique among the members of the Group of Seven. One of the greatest Canadian portraitists of the twentieth century, he is an intriguing example of an artist who, despite his fame as a portrait painter, remains better known for his landscapes. This is due mainly to his position as one of the founding members of the Group of Seven and their deliberate attempt to raise awareness of our national identity by depicting the Canadian landscape. Even though many public collections across the country, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Vancouver Art Gallery, display some of Varley's best-known portraits, these works do not easily fit into the conventional mould of the Group of Seven. Nearly four decades after his death, Varley's portraits are still not fully acknowledged. The release of this beautifully illustrated bilingual volume coincides with the opening of an unprecedented exhibition of his portraiture.

Winter Count draws inspiration from the Plains First Nations practices of recording significant events each winter, a visual reminder that helps structure histories and traditions passed down to future generations. This handsome volume explores how winter has long shaped Indigenous, Canadian settler, and northern European art, uniting different cultural perspectives through such diverse topics as storytelling, effects of light, physical adaptation, and community and isolation. Presenting a selection of works spanning from the early 19th century to the present day — including artists such as Kenojuak Ashevak, J. E. H. MacDonald, Claude Monet, Kent Monkman, Megan Musseau, and Jin-me Yoon — Winter Count features approximately 170 plates, along with illustrated essays by curators from the National Gallery of Canada. The result is a book that invites readers to see winter anew — not as a season to be endured, but as a source of invention, connection, and mutual respect across time and place.

The Ash K. Prakash Collection of works by James W. Morrice offers an exciting journey into the personal and artistic explorations of the first Canadian painter who established an enviable career as an artist in Paris by the turn of the twentieth century. While living abroad for the rest of his life, Morrice also played a vital role in advancing modern artistic trends at the turn of the twentieth century in Canada. The in-depth collection of works will feature just over three decades of collecting by Mr. A. K. Prakash, and will weave the intricate story of the artist through the story of the collector and his ability to refine his collection and sustain his passion for the artist and his art.