TWO ARTISTS TIME FORGOT: Frances Jones Bannerman (1855-1944) and Margaret Campbell Macpherson (1860-1931)
No evidence documents a meeting between Frances Jones Bannerman and Margaret Campbell Macpherson, or suggests that either artists was familiar with the other’s work, but the passage of a century links the two artists through circumstance.
Both were born (before the Salon des Refuses introduced turmoil to the Paris art world) into the merchant aristocracy of their respective cities (Halifax, NS and St. John’s, NL). Educational accomplishments then included some art training as a matter of course, but both artists went on to pursue professional training in Paris. Although they chose different academic Sale painters as their mentors, their paintings (in both brushwork and subject matter) evidence the attention each gave to the non-Salon Impressionists Both painted in Great Britain, Brittany, and Italy, and submitted their work successfully to Paris Salon exhibitions, and to the established exhibition venues in Great Britain. The passage of a century has placed many hurdles between these artists’ and the production of an exhibition.
The curators’ overall aim is to represent the work of two artists, - Frances Jones Bannerman (Halifax, NS) and Margaret Campbell Macpherson (St. John’s, NL) - who, although acknowledged and awarded in their time, have been largely overlooked by the Canadian art establishment since their careers ended. This exhibition of approximately 60-65 paintings and drawings, augmented by documentary photographs, documents the academic tradition in which both Jones and Macpherson were trained and their deviation from that training to follow the influences of the Impressionist and post-Impressionist movements and to incorporate aspects of the “New Painting” into their own art practice over a dozen years before artists from Toronto and Montreal responded to the impressionist challenge.
Exhibition Fee: $3000 and pro-rated shipping fee.
Contents: …………..oil paintings, pastel and watercolour works on paper
Space Requirements: 200 running feet
Publication:
AGNS has published a bilingual exhibition catalogue with essays by Mor
Dianne O’Neill and Caroline Stone. Booking venues will receive 25
copies of the catalogue. Additional units will be available for sale
from AGNS>
Publicity/Credit Line: Organized and circulated by
the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. This exhibition has been made possible
in part through a contribution from the Museums Assistance Program,
Department of Canadian Heritage.
Animation: Speaking fees and travel costs are the responsibility of the host institution
Contact: