Marilyn Jones | Emily Carr Chronicler

Max Stern and Emily Carr: The Art Dealer Who Believed in Her

Published: 2 August, 2026
Written by Marilyn Jones

Max Stern (1904–1987) was one of the most influential art dealers in Canadian history, but his path to Montreal and his relationship with Emily Carr were shaped by forces far beyond the Canadian art world. A German-born art historian, refugee from Nazism, collector, dealer and champion of modern art, Stern arrived in Canada after nearly two years of internment during the Second World War. Within a few years, he had transformed Montreal’s…

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Why Emily Carr Kept a Can of Gasoline Beside Her Easel

Published: 26 July, 2026
Written by Marilyn Jones

Beginning around 1932, Carr largely abandoned traditional watercolour for her field studies. Instead, she began using oil paint (and sometimes house paint) thinned with gasoline on manilla paper, creating a medium that combined the fluidity of watercolour with the rich colour and permanence of oil. This technique became central to many of her finest forest paintings of the 1930s. Read more: Max Stern and Emily Carr: The Art…

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Nan Cheney: Emily Carr’s Trusted Friend, Confidante, and Champion

Published: 25 July, 2026
Written by Marilyn Jones

Nan Lawson Cheney (1897–1985) was one of Emily Carr’s closest friends, trusted correspondents, and earliest champions. Although she is less well known than Lawren Harris, Ira Dilworth, or Mark Tobey, Cheney played a significant role in promoting Carr’s work, organizing her annual solo exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery from 1937 – 1941, and preserving her legacy through their friendship, extensive correspondence, and later publications. Read more: Max…

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