Art Museum of Toronto, Group of Seven, May 7-27, 1920

Art Gallery of Toronto, Group of Seven, January 9 - February 2, 1925

“A word as you view the pictures. The artists invite adverse criticism. Indifference is the greatest evil they have to contend with. But they would ask you – do you read books that contain what you already know? If not, they argue, that you should hardly want to see pictures that show you what you can already see for yourselves.” - from the foreword of the catalogue for The Group of Seven Exhibition of Paintings, May 7th – May 27th, 1920

Offered together in this lot, in startlingly fine condition, are the original catalogues for the Group of Seven’s first and fourth exhibitions. For the cost of a thin dime, one could purchase the catalogue for what would become among the most historically consequential exhibitions in Canadian Art. Few attending the 1920 show on its 20-day run could have been aware of its future impact, perhaps even in the boldest confidences of the artists involved. As they had hoped in their foreword, however, their work continues to be debated, collected, and cherished nearly 105 years later.

Listed on their pages are iconic titles such as J.E.H. McDonald’s “The Tangled Garden,” Lawren Harris’ “In the Ward,” and Arthur Lismer’s “The Happy Isles,” documenting these artists’ canonical contributions to art and culture.