Marilyn Jones | Emily Carr Chronicler

How Marius Barbeau Helped Launch Emily Carr’s Career

Published: 15 July, 2026
Written by Marilyn Jones

The relationship between Marius Barbeau and Emily Carr was one of the most consequential in Canadian art history. Although they were never close personal friends, Barbeau became one of her earliest and most influential champions at a pivotal moment in her life. After decades of artistic struggle, financial hardship, and professional isolation, Carr was 56 years old when she finally caught the break that transformed her career and long eluded her.

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From Student to Exhibitor: Emily Carr’s Return to London at the Tate Gallery

Published: 13 July, 2026
Written by Marilyn Jones

Tate Gallery’s A Century of Canadian Art was one of the most important international exhibitions in the history of Canadian art. Organized by Canada’s National Gallery and opening at London in October 1938, it was the first comprehensive historical survey of Canadian art ever shown overseas. It introduced British audiences to the breadth of Canadian artistic achievement, from early colonial portraiture and religious carving to modern landscape painting by the Group of Seven…

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Emily Carr and Mark Tobey: A Friendship That Crossed Borders and Changed an Artist

Published: 6 July, 2026
Written by Marilyn Jones

In the story of Emily Carr’s artistic development, much attention has been given to her relationship with members of the Group of Seven, particularly Lawren Harris. Yet other friendships—ones that began just across the border in Seattle—were equally important in helping Carr find confidence in her mature artistic voice. That friendship was with Seattle artists, Ambrose and Viola Patterson and in particular Mark Tobey. Read more: How Marius Barbeau…

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