Marilyn Jones | Emily Carr Chronicler

The Vancouver Art Gallery will open That Green Ideal: Emily Carr and the Idea of Nature, its largest presentation of the work of Emily Carr (1871–1945, Victoria, B.C.) in more than two decades in February 2026. Overlooked in her own time, Carr is now recognized as one of Canada’s most important artists, whose distinctive modernist vision has profoundly shaped how British Columbia’s landscape is perceived, understood and represented. That Green Ideal features work…

The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) and Emily Carr are indelibly linked in the history of Canadian art. Since the gallery’s founding in 1931, Carr has not only occupied a central place in its collection but has also played a foundational role in the gallery’s identity, legacy, and public engagement. Over the decades, the VAG has grown into the principal steward of Carr’s artistic legacy, housing the largest and most comprehensive body of her…

Founded in 1909 in Vancouver while Emily Carr resided there, the British Columbia Society of Fine Arts—now known as the BC Society of Artists—emerged as the province’s first formal organization dedicated to promoting the visual arts. Modeled after eastern Canadian and British art societies, the BCSFA held annual juried exhibitions and played a foundational role in shaping early public appreciation for art in British Columbia. Read more: Vancouver Art…