Marilyn Jones | Emily Carr Chronicler

From Victoria to Ottawa: Emily Carr’s Journey to the National Gallery

Published: 13 August, 2026
Written by Marilyn Jones

The story of the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) up to its initial purchase of three Emily Carr watercolours in 1928 is especially interesting because Carr’s acquisition came at a moment when the Gallery was changing from a relatively small, government-administered collection into an institution with a national vision—and when Canadian artists were beginning to be taken seriously as part of Canada’s cultural identity. Read more: From Victoria…

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Emily Carr, Max Stern and E. J. Hughes: The Making of a West Coast Art Legacy

Published: 8 August, 2026
Written by Marilyn Jones

The relationship between Max Stern and E. J. Hughes was one of the most consequential dealer–artist partnerships in Canadian art. Stern did much more than sell Hughes’s paintings like he did for Emily Carr. Instead he provided Hughes with the unusual security that allowed him to remain a private, almost reclusive artist on Vancouver Island while Stern built his reputation nationally. Read more: From Victoria to Ottawa: Emily…

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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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