Edwin Holgate: Difference between revisions

| awards = Art Association of Montreal`'s Jessie Dow Prize (1938)

'''Edwin Headley Holgate''' {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|RCA|size=100%}} (August 19, 1892 –– May 21, 1977), was a [[Canadians|Canadian]] artist, [[painter]], muralist, and wood-cut artistprintmaker. Holgate played a major role in Montreal's art community, and the [[Montreal Museum of Fine Arts]], where he both studied and taught. He was known primarily as a [[portrait]]ist and for his treatment of the female nude in an outdoor setting in a series of paintings and prints during the 1930s.

Holgate was born in [[Innisfil|Allandale]], [[Ontario]], Canada, the son of Bessie Bell (Headley) and Henry Holgate.<ref>{{cite web |title=Edwin Holgate |url=http://www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv.qc.ca/rpcq/detail.do?methode=consulter&id=9205&type=pge |website=www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv.qc.ca/ |publisher=Government of Quebec |access-date=May 6, 2021-05-06}}</ref> Holgate's family moved to [[Jamaica]] in 1895 where his father worked as an engineer. In 1897, he was sent to [[Toronto]] to go to school. In 1901, his family returned from Jamaica and settled in Montreal.

Holgate studied at the [[Art Association of Montreal]] with [[Alberta Cleland]] (beginning in 1905),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://beaverhallgroup.weebly.com/edwin-holgate.html |title=Edwin Headley Holgate |work=The Beaver Hall Group Canada's other Group of Seven |publisher=Gibbs Appraisals Ltd |access-date=June 1, 2014-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304142241/http://beaverhallgroup.weebly.com/edwin-holgate.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016-03-04 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[William Brymner]] (who also taught [[A. Y. Jackson]]), and later [[Maurice Galbraith Cullen|Maurice Cullen]].<ref name="pepall">{{cite web |last1=Pepall |first1=Rosalind |title='An Art of Vigour and Restraint". Edwin Holgate |date=2005 |website=librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca |publisher=Montreal Museum of Fine Arts |others=Rosalind Pepall, Brian Foss |location=Montreal|url=https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Edwin%20Holgate.%20Rosalind%20Pepall,%20Brian%20Foss.%20Montreal:%20Montreal%20Museum%20of%20Fine%20Arts&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=UTL&vid=01UTORONTO_INST:UTORONTO&offset=0 |access-date=2021-05-07}}</ref> From 1912 until 1923, he exhibited in the annual Spring Exhibitions almost every year. From 1912 to 1914, he studied in [[Paris]] at the [[Académie de la Grande Chaumière]] but found it disappointing.<ref name="pepall" /> He was travelling in the [[Ukraine]] at the outset of [[World War I]], and was forced to cross [[Asia]] to return to Canada. He enlisted in 1916<ref name="pepall" /> and returned to [[France]] with the Canadian Army.<ref name=ngc>{{cite web |url=http://cybermuse.gallery.ca/cybermuse/enthusiast/thirties/artist_e.jsp?iartistid=2482 |title=Edwin Holgate |website=cybermuse.gallery.ca |publisher=National Gallery of Canada |access-date=June 1, 2014-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025093001/http://cybermuse.gallery.ca/cybermuse/enthusiast/thirties/artist_e.jsp?iartistid=2482 |archive-date=2015-10-October 25, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Holgate's first exhibition was held at the Arts Club of Montreal in 1922. In 1933, he had a he had a solo exhibition at the [[Montreal Museum of Fine Arts]].<ref name="cogeval">{{cite book |last1=Cogeval |first1=Guy |title='Director's Foreword". Edwin Holgate |date=2005 |publisher=Montreal Museum of Fine Arts |others=Rosalind Pepall, Brian Foss |location=Montreal |url=https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Edwin%20Holgate.%20Rosalind%20Pepall,%20Brian%20Foss.%20Montreal:%20Montreal%20Museum%20of%20Fine%20Arts&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=UTL&vid=01UTORONTO_INST:UTORONTO&offset=0 |page=8 |access-date=May 6, 2021-05-06}}</ref> He taught wood engraving at the [[École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal]] from 1928 to 1934, then with [[Lilias Torrance Newton]] directed art classes at the Museummuseum from 1934 to 1936 and again, from 1938 to 1940.<ref name="cogeval" />

Holgate was said by [[A. Y. Jackson]] to be the instigator of the [[Beaver Hall Group]], of which he was a member, in 1920.<ref name="foss">{{cite web |last1=Foss |first1=Brian |title="Living Landscape". Edwin Holgate |date=2005 |website=librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca |publisher=Montreal Museum of Fine Arts |others=Rosalind Pepall, Brian Foss |location=Montreal |url=https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Edwin%20Holgate.%20Rosalind%20Pepall,%20Brian%20Foss.%20Montreal:%20Montreal%20Museum%20of%20Fine%20Arts&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=UTL&vid=01UTORONTO_INST:UTORONTO&offset=0 |access-date=May 8, 2021-05-08}}</ref> He was the eighth<ref name="foss" /> member of the [[Group of Seven (artists)|Group of Seven]] &mdash; he was invited to join the group in March 1929 and showed with it in 1930 and 1931.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Silcox |first1=David P. |title=The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson |date=2011 |publisher=Firefly Books Ltd. |isbn=978-1-55407-154-8 |page=47}}</ref><ref>{{Citecite web |url=http://cybermuse.gallery.ca/cybermuse/servlet/imageserver?src=DO93-1000&ext=x.pdf |title=CHARLESCharles HILLHill INTERVIEWInterview WITHWith EDWINEdwin Holgate HOLGATE|last=Hill |first=Charles |date=20 September 20, 1973 |website=cybermuse.gallery.ca |publisher=National Gallery of Canada |access-date=17 April 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418031943/http://cybermuse.gallery.ca/cybermuse/servlet/imageserver?src=DO93-1000&ext=x.pdf |archive-date=18 April 18, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1934, he was elected an associate of the [[Royal Canadian Academy of Arts]]. He was elected a full member in 1935. He resigned in 1945 but was reinstated in 1953.<ref name=RCA1880>{{cite web |title=Members since 1880 |url=http://www.rca-arc.ca/en/about_members/since1880.asp |website=rca-arc.ca |publisher=Royal Canadian Academy of Arts |access-date=11 September 11, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526215339/http://www.rca-arc.ca/en/about_members/since1880.asp |archive-date=26 May 26, 2011 }}</ref> He was also a founding member of the [[Canadian Group of Painters]].<ref name="Bradfield">{{cite book |last1=Bradfield |first1=Helen |title=Art Gallery of Ontario: the Canadian Collection |date=1970 |publisher=McGraw Hill |location=Toronto |isbn=0070925046 |url=https://search.library.utoronto.ca/search?N=0&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nu=p_work_normalized&Np=1&Ntt=Helen%20Bradfield%2C%20canadian%20collection%20%2C%20art%20gallery%20of%20ontario&Ntk=Anywhere |access-date=July 7, 2020-07-07}}</ref>

HeHolgate worked as aan Officialofficial Canadian [[war artist]] with the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] in [[England]] during [[World War II]]. On his return to Montreal after the war, he found that the arts scene had changed, with the arrival of the [[Les Automatistes|Automatistes]]. He left Montreal to live in the [[Laurentides|Laurentians]] in 1946.<ref>{{Citecite web |url=http://sobeyartfoundation.com/en/crombie-collection/the-group-of-seven/edwin-holgate/ |title=Edwin Holgate |website=sobeyartfoundation.com |publisher=The Sobey Art Foundation |language=en-US |access-date=2018-01-January 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122073008/http://sobeyartfoundation.com/en/crombie-collection/the-group-of-seven/edwin-holgate/ |archive-date=2018-01-January 22, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1954, he was one of eighteen18 Canadian artists commissioned by the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] to paint a [[mural]] for the interior of one of the new [[Park series|Park cars]] entering service on the new ''[[Canadian (train)|Canadian]]'' transcontinental train. Each the murals depicted a different national or provincial park; Holgate's was [[Mont-Tremblant National Park]].<ref name="cr2004">{{cite journal | url=http://www.exporail.org/can_rail/Canadian%20Rail_no503_2004.pdf | title=The 50th Anniversary of the CPR Stainless Steel Passenger Fleet | journal=Canadian Rail | date=November–December 2004 | issue=503 | pages=211–223 | access-date=February 7, 2015-02-07 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924005431/http://www.exporail.org/can_rail/Canadian%20Rail_no503_2004.pdf | archive-date=2015-09-September 24, |2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Holgate died in 1977 and was buried at [[Mount Royal Cemetery]] in [[Montreal]].<ref>{{Citecite web |url=https://thegroupofseven.ca/edwin-holgate/ |title=Group of Seven |website=thegroupofseven.ca |publisher=The Group of Seven |access-date=2019-07-July 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720012156/https://thegroupofseven.ca/edwin-holgate/ |archive-date=2019-07-July 20, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[National Gallery of Canada]] held a [[retrospective]] of his work which travelled across Canada in 1975.<ref name="pepall" /> The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts organized a second retrospective in 2005, curated by Rosalind Pepall and Brian Foss.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Lifeworks: A late modernist |last=Sibbald |first=Barbara |journal=Canadian Medical Association Journal |date=August 16, 2005 |volume=173 |issue=4 |pages=393–394 |doi=10.1503/cmaj.050924 |pmc=1188229 }}</ref>