Art Gallery of Sudbury welcomes Mary Wrinch
The pioneering artist ventures north once again, as an exhibition of her miniature portraits goes on view.
Installation View at Art Gallery of Sudbury. Photo credit Ally Carlos.
No stranger to the landscapes and moods of Northern Ontario, the works of Mary Wrinch (1877–1969), one of Toronto’s great pioneering female artists, head to Sudbury, Ontario this fall, just as the colours come alive. On view now, the Art Gallery of Sudbury presents Mary Wrinch: Painted from Life, a selection of 19 miniature watercolour portraits on ivory from the AGO Collection, last seen at the AGO in the spring of 2020.
Uniquely, Wrinch painted from life, not photographs. In her watercolour portraits depicting women from the local community in Toronto, she captures each sitter’s personality and sense of fashion in intricate detail. Her precise compositions astound the eye with their vivid colours, preserving a portrait of an era.
One of the first Canadian women to pursue art for a living, Wrinch was successful in her own time, but has been overlooked by art history. An outdoor enthusiast who summered in the woods, she was an accomplished landscape artist, tramping across Northern Ontario to paint en plein air, a decade before the Group of Seven dared venture there. During her art journey, she eventually became known for her miniature watercolours, colour block prints and oil paintings. Notably, she was the first woman to be elected to the executive of the Ontario Society of Artists, in 1924.
Installation View at Art Gallery of Sudbury. Photo credit Ally Carlos.
So while we don’t know for sure if Wrinch has ever been to Sudbury before, we are sure of a warm reception in the Gallery’s familiar historic architecture. “The Bell Mansion, in which the Art Gallery of Sudbury is housed, was built in 1907,” says Demetra Christakos, Director and Curator, Art Gallery of Sudbury. “We wanted to share artworks picturing women of that same era (in what was once Mrs. Bell's drawing room) as well as share the compelling story of Mary Wrinch's career as an early 20th-century professional woman artist in Ontario.”
Mary Wrinch: Painted from Life is curated by Renée van der Avoird, Assistant Curator, Canadian Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The Sudbury presentation is coordinated by Ally Carlos, Exhibitions and Collections Care, for the Art Gallery of Sudbury. For details on this exhibition, click here.
Want to learn more about Wrinch’s portraits? Check out our past Close Looking talk with Erin Stodola, Curatorial Intern, and Renée van der Avoird, Assistant Curator, Canadian Art, diving into the miniature watercolours on ivory.