Winning Title (Pictorial), The Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada, 2025 

Sonia Del Re and Kirsten Appleyard

Delve into Canada’s premier collection of international drawings and discover never-before-seen artworks straight from the vault. Founded in 1921 and the first of its kind in the country, the National Gallery of Canada’s Department of Prints and Drawings boasts ever-evolving, world-class holdings of historical drawings dating from the 15th to the 20th century, in every medium – from graphite to ink, pastel to watercolour. Enjoy this rare opportunity to view works by Gustav Klimt, Théodore Géricault and Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, among many others, including newly acquired sheets and little-known but historically significant drawings that for conservation reasons are usually kept in the dark. The selection is wide-ranging, featuring everything from preparatory works for paintings to subjects drawn from history and mythology, portraits, landscapes, forays into abstraction and poignant explorations of the human condition.

Celebrate the legacy of the Department of Prints and Drawings first-hand through this captivating exhibition and richly illustrated catalogue marking its recent 100-year anniversary.

Gathered Leaves: Discoveries from the Drawings Vault is organized by the National Gallery of Canada. The publication is made possible with support from the Getty Foundation through its “The Paper Project: Prints and Drawings Curatorship in the 21st Century” initiative.

Hardcover | 203 pages
Publication Date: 2024 

Also published in French under the title Feuille à feuille. La collection de dessins dévoilée

Winning Title (Pictorial), The Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada, 2025 

Sonia Del Re and Kirsten Appleyard

Delve into Canada’s premier collection of international drawings and discover never-before-seen artworks straight from the vault. Founded in 1921 and the first of its kind in the country, the National Gallery of Canada’s Department of Prints and Drawings boasts ever-evolving, world-class holdings of historical drawings dating from the 15th to the 20th century, in every medium – from graphite to ink, pastel to watercolour. Enjoy this rare opportunity to view works by Gustav Klimt, Théodore Géricault and Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, among many others, including newly acquired sheets and little-known but historically significant drawings that for conservation reasons are usually kept in the dark. The selection is wide-ranging, featuring everything from preparatory works for paintings to subjects drawn from history and mythology, portraits, landscapes, forays into abstraction and poignant explorations of the human condition.

Celebrate the legacy of the Department of Prints and Drawings first-hand through this captivating exhibition and richly illustrated catalogue marking its recent 100-year anniversary.

Feuille à feuille. La collection de dessins dévoilée is organized by the National Gallery of Canada. The publication is made possible with support from the Getty Foundation through its “The Paper Project: Prints and Drawings Curatorship in the 21st Century” initiative.

Hardcover | 203 pages
Publication Date: 2024

Also published in English under the title Gathered Leaves: Discoveries from the Drawing Vault

Lynne Cooke

This transformative exhibition explores how abstract art and woven textiles have intertwined over the past hundred years.

In the 20th century, textiles were often considered lesser – as applied art, women’s work, or domestic craft. Woven Histories challenges the hierarchies that have separated textiles from fine arts. Putting into dialogue some 130 works by more than 45 creators from across generations and continents, the exhibition explores the contributions weaving and related techniques have made to abstraction, modernism’s pre-eminent art form.

See a variety of textile techniques including weaving, knitting, netting, knotting and felting. Learn about the wide-ranging reasons artists from Anni Albers to Rosemarie Trockel and Jeffrey Gibson (Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians/Cherokee Nation) have engaged with this art form. Some seek to effect social change; others address political issues. Engaging with textiles as subject, material and technique, still others revitalize abstraction’s formal conventions or critique its patriarchal history and gendered identity.

Follow this hidden thread of art history to discover the work of creators who were once marginalized for their gender, race or class.

Hardcover
24 x 28 cm (9.5 x 11 in.)
Publication date: 2024

The exhibition is organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, in collaboration with the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Lynne Cooke

This transformative exhibition explores how abstract art and woven textiles have intertwined over the past hundred years.

In the 20th century, textiles were often considered lesser – as applied art, women’s work, or domestic craft. Woven Histories challenges the hierarchies that have separated textiles from fine arts. Putting into dialogue some 130 works by more than 45 creators from across generations and continents, the exhibition explores the contributions; weaving and related techniques have made to abstraction, modernism’s pre-eminent art form.

See a variety of textile techniques including weaving, knitting, netting, knotting and felting. Learn about the wide-ranging reasons artists from Anni Albers to Rosemarie Trockel and Jeffrey Gibson (Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians/Cherokee Nation) have engaged with this art form. Some seek to effect social change; others address political issues. Engaging with textiles as subject, material and technique, still others revitalize abstraction’s formal conventions or critique its patriarchal history and gendered identity.

Follow this hidden thread of art history to discover the work of creators who were once marginalized for their gender, race or class.

Hardcover
24 x 28 cm (9.5 x 11 in.)
Publication date: 2024

The exhibition is organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, in collaboration with the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Curated by Sherry Farrell Racette, Michelle LaVallee and Cathy Mattes

Indigenous artists have long used beadwork to tell stories, honour loved ones and celebrate beauty. Using techniques and knowledge passed from previous generations, today’s Indigenous artists are using beading to address concerns related to history, decolonization and resistance. Radical Stitch – the largest contemporary beadwork exhibition to date – presents a wealth of works ranging from wearable art and portraiture to installation and video that connect past and present as they imagine new worlds.

The accompanying catalogue celebrates the innovative art of 56 artists from across Turtle Island who have exhibited at most or all of the venues for this touring exhibition. In full, vivid colour, this publication presents 30 figures and 82 plates of their selected artworks, which reflect a range of humour, poignant testimony, and political and social commentary.

Radical Stitch Itinerary:

MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina: 30 April – 25 September 2022
Art Gallery of Hamilton: 11 February – 27 August 2023
Thunder Bay Art Gallery: 13 October 2023 – 3 March 2024
National Gallery of Canada: 17 May – 30 September 2024
Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton: 30 November 2024 – 2 March 2025
Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis: 12 April – 3 August 2025

Featured in the catalogue: Barry Ace, Eva Talooki Aliktiluk, Carrie Allison, Marcus Amerman, Judy Anderson, Kristen Auger, Kaylyn Baker, Christi Belcourt, Michael Belmore, Catherine Blackburn, Katherine Boyer, Jackie Larson Bread, Marcia Chickeness, Hannah Claus, Dana Claxton, Jon Michael Robert Corbett, Ruth Cuthand, Vanessa Dion Fletcher, Marcy Friesen, Teri Greeves, Joyce Growing Thunder, Justine Gustafson, Donald & Carla Hemlock, Maria Hupfield, Lizzie Ittinuar, Bev Koski, Casey Koyczan, Jennine Krauchi, Martha Kyak, Mindy Lauren Magyar, Amy Malbeuf, Jean Marshall, Audie Murray, Nadia Myre, Margaret Nazon, Candace Neumann, Niap, Shelley Niro, Elias Not Afraid, Jamie Okuma, Sandra Okuma, Taqralik Partridge, Jobena Petonoquot, Memory Rose Poni-Cappo, Alesia Poncho & Farlan Quetawki, Skawennati, Samuel Thomas, Marie Watt, Olivia Whetung, Dyani White Hawk, Kenneth Williams Jr., Nico Williams, Will Wilson, Summer Yahbay

Printed in Canada
Softcover
20.32 x 26.67 cm (8 x 10.5 in.)
Publication date: 2024

Curated by Sherry Farrell Racette, Michelle LaVallee and Cathy Mattes

Indigenous artists have long used beadwork to tell stories, honour loved ones and celebrate beauty. Using techniques and knowledge passed from previous generations, today’s Indigenous artists are using beading to address concerns related to history, decolonization and resistance. Radical Stitch – the largest contemporary beadwork exhibition to date – presents a wealth of works ranging from wearable art and portraiture to installation and video that connect past and present as they imagine new worlds.

The accompanying catalogue celebrates the innovative art of 56 artists from across Turtle Island who have exhibited at most or all of the venues for this touring exhibition. In full, vivid colour, this publication presents 30 figures and 82 plates of their selected artworks, which reflect a range of humour, poignant testimony, and political and social commentary.

Radical Stitch Itinerary:

MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina: 30 April – 25 September 2022
Art Gallery of Hamilton: 11 February – 27 August 2023
Thunder Bay Art Gallery: 13 October 2023 – 3 March 2024
National Gallery of Canada: 17 May – 30 September 2024
Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton: 30 November 2024 – 2 March 2025
Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis: 12 April – 3 August 2025

Featured in the catalogue: Barry Ace, Eva Talooki Aliktiluk, Carrie Allison, Marcus Amerman, Judy Anderson, Kristen Auger, Kaylyn Baker, Christi Belcourt, Michael Belmore, Catherine Blackburn, Katherine Boyer, Jackie Larson Bread, Marcia Chickeness, Hannah Claus, Dana Claxton, Jon Michael Robert Corbett, Ruth Cuthand, Vanessa Dion Fletcher, Marcy Friesen, Teri Greeves, Joyce Growing Thunder, Justine Gustafson, Donald & Carla Hemlock, Maria Hupfield, Lizzie Ittinuar, Bev Koski, Casey Koyczan, Jennine Krauchi, Martha Kyak, Mindy Lauren Magyar, Amy Malbeuf, Jean Marshall, Audie Murray, Nadia Myre, Margaret Nazon, Candace Neumann, Niap, Shelley Niro, Elias Not Afraid, Jamie Okuma, Sandra Okuma, Taqralik Partridge, Jobena Petonoquot, Memory Rose Poni-Cappo, Alesia Poncho & Farlan Quetawki, Skawennati, Samuel Thomas, Marie Watt, Olivia Whetung, Dyani White Hawk, Kenneth Williams Jr., Nico Williams, Will Wilson, Summer Yahbay

Printed in Canada
Softcover
20.32 x 26.67 cm (8 x 10.5 in.)
Publication date: 2024

Edited by Sylvie Lacerte with contributions by Gilles Daigneault, Vera Frenkel, Manuel Mathieu, Caroline Monnet, Marc-Antoine K. Phaneuf and Marc Séguin

Marking the centenary of his birth, the exhibition Riopelle: Crossroads in Time introduces Jean Paul Riopelle as a tireless experimenter and innovator, anchored in the contemporary realm. Drawing on the artist’s work across various mediums and materials, guest curator Sylvie Lacerte paints a portrait of Riopelle as a visionary trailblazer. Offering a unique take on this famed Canadian artist, this retrospective presents his acclaimed works alongside creations rarely or never before shown in public.

This richly illustrated catalogue features essays by art specialists and artists who reflect on Riopelle’s legacy as they look at his work. Discover the full force of his legendary influence on both his contemporaries and artists working today, all of whom represent a broad range of cultural and aesthetic perspectives.

Hardcover | 208 pages
Publication Date: 2023

Edited by Sylvie Lacerte with contributions by Gilles Daigneault, Vera Frenkel, Manuel Mathieu, Caroline Monnet, Marc-Antoine K. Phaneuf and Marc Séguin

Marking the centenary of his birth, the exhibition Riopelle, à la croisée des temps introduces Jean Paul Riopelle as a tireless experimenter and innovator, anchored in the contemporary realm. Drawing on the artist’s work across various mediums and materials, guest curator Sylvie Lacerte paints a portrait of Riopelle as a visionary trailblazer. Offering a unique take on this famed Canadian artist, this retrospective presents his acclaimed works alongside creations rarely or never before shown in public.

This richly illustrated catalogue features essays by art specialists and artists who reflect on Riopelle’s legacy as they look at his work. Discover the full force of his legendary influence on both his contemporaries and artists working today, all of whom represent a broad range of cultural and aesthetic perspectives.

Hardcover | 208 pages
Publication Date: 2023

Melissa Bennett, Greg Hill, and David W. Penney

Shelley Niro is widely known for her ability to explore Traditional Stories, transgress boundaries, and embody the ethos of her matriarchal culture. A member of the Six Nations Reserve, Turtle Clan, Bay of Quinte Mohawk, she uses a wide variety of media, including photography, installation, film, and painting to bring greater visibility to Indigenous women and girls.

Pushing the limits of photography, Niro incorporates imagery from Traditional Stories to focus on contemporary subjects with wit, irony, and parody. Throughout her work — in her portraiture, sculptures, landscape paintings, photography, and film and video work — Niro challenges common preconceptions about gender, culture, and Indigenous Peoples.

Hardcover | 304 pages
21.5 x 25 cm (8.1 x 9.8 in.)
Publication Date: 2023

Published by the Art Gallery of Hamilton and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and distributed by Goose Lane Editions.

Shelley Niro: 500 Year Itch accompanies an international touring exhibition organized by the Art Gallery of Hamilton and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian with the collaboration of the National Gallery of Canada.

Melissa Bennett, Greg Hill, and David W. Penney

Shelley Niro is widely known for her ability to explore Traditional Stories, transgress boundaries, and embody the ethos of her matriarchal culture. A member of the Six Nations Reserve, Turtle Clan, Bay of Quinte Mohawk, she uses a wide variety of media, including photography, installation, film, and painting to bring greater visibility to Indigenous women and girls.

Pushing the limits of photography, Niro incorporates imagery from Traditional Stories to focus on contemporary subjects with wit, irony, and parody. Throughout her work — in her portraiture, sculptures, landscape paintings, photography, and film and video work — Niro challenges common preconceptions about gender, culture, and Indigenous Peoples.

Hardcover | 304 pages
21.5 x 25 cm (8.1 x 9.8 in.)
Publication Date: 2023

Published by the Art Gallery of Hamilton and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and distributed by Goose Lane Editions.

Shelley Niro: 500 Year Itch accompanies an international touring exhibition organized by the Art Gallery of Hamilton and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian with the collaboration of the National Gallery of Canada.

Edited by Adam Welch

Contributors: David Balzer, AA Bronson, Diedrich Diederichsen, Dominic Johnson, Theodore Kerr, Alex Kitnick, Sholem Krishtalka, Élisabeth Lebovici, Philip Monk, Diana Nemiroff, and Beatrix Ruf

General Idea (1969–1994) were pioneers of conceptual and media art whose work attained international prominence through the art world and the streets in equal measure. The ground-breaking collective practice of AA Bronson, Felix Partz and Jorge Zontal spanned twenty-five years, addressing aspects of mass media, consumer culture, queer identity, the art economy and the AIDS crisis. They remain some of the most influential artists to have emerged from Canada.

This monumental publication presents a visual survey of General Idea’s artworks, from their earliest performances and actions to their use of consumer and advertising media in the public realm to their gallery and museum work. Including texts by a range of scholars and more than 500 illustrations, it is the definitive resource on General Idea. 

Softcover | 756 pages 
27 x 30 cm (10.6 x 11.8 in.) 
Publication Date: 2022

Edited by Adam Welch 

Contributors: David Balzer, AA Bronson, Diedrich Diederichsen, Dominic Johnson, Theodore Kerr, Alex Kitnick, Sholem Krishtalka, Élisabeth Lebovici, Philip Monk, Diana Nemiroff, and Beatrix Ruf

General Idea (1969–1994) were pioneers of conceptual and media art whose work attained international prominence through the art world and the streets in equal measure. The ground-breaking collective practice of AA Bronson, Felix Partz and Jorge Zontal spanned twenty-five years, addressing aspects of mass media, consumer culture, queer identity, the art economy and the AIDS crisis. They remain some of the most influential artists to have emerged from Canada.  

This monumental publication presents a visual survey of General Idea’s artworks, from their earliest performances and actions to their use of consumer and advertising media in the public realm to their gallery and museum work. Including texts by a range of scholars and more than 500 illustrations, it is the definitive resource on General Idea.

Softcover | 756 pages 
27 x 30 cm (10.6 x 11.8 in.) 
Publication Date: 2022

Edited by Reid Shier with contributions by Ma’an Abu Taleb, Erika Balsom, Samir Gandesha, and George E. Lewis.

Stan Douglas, one of the most compelling voices in Canadian contemporary art, has long explored critical sociocultural and political change. His exhibition for the 59th Biennale di Venezia, 2011 ≠ 1848, reflects upon the language of protest, revolution and the uprisings witnessed across the globe in 2011. Douglas’ four large-scale hybrid documentary photographs re-stage protests in Tunis, London, New York and Vancouver, and his two-channel HD video, ISDN, presents Grime and Mahraganat rappers exchanging subversive lyrics between studios in London and Cairo.

This stunning 288-page illustrated catalogue, published in English, French and Arabic, features some 100 full-colour detailed images that meticulously capture behind-the-scenes views of Douglas’ elaborate productions. Essays by leading international cultural thinkers examine the artist’s work in relation to music, political economy, contemporary media theory and the rise of Grime and Mahraganat.

Hardcover | 288 pages (100 illustrations)
24.8 x 27.5 cm (9.8 x 10.8 in.)
English, French and Arabic
Publication Date: 2022

Sarah Milroy

Uninvited: Canadian Women Artists in the Modern Moment offers commentary on a generation of extraordinary women painters, photographers, sculptors, architects and filmmakers from a century ago — pioneers who opened new frontiers for women artists in Canada — as well as works made by their Indigenous female contemporaries working in traditional media, for a cross-country snapshot of female creativity in this dynamic modern moment.

Hardcover | 320 pages
Publication Date: 2021

Sarah Milroy

Sans invitation : Les artistes canadiennes de la modernité offers commentary on a generation of extraordinary women painters, photographers, sculptors, architects and filmmakers from a century ago — pioneers who opened new frontiers for women artists in Canada — as well as works made by their Indigenous female contemporaries working in traditional media, for a cross-country snapshot of female creativity in this dynamic modern moment.

Hardcover | 320 pages
Publication Date: 2021

Erika Dolphin
with Jonathan L. Meakins

The Collectors’ Cosmos: The Meakins–McClaran Print Collection provides a glimpse into the making of what is, undoubtedly, the foremost private collection of 16th and 17th-century Dutch and Flemish prints in Canada. While that is the strength of the collection, there is also a joyful touch of eclecticism reflecting the Renaissance interests of the collectors Dr. Jonathan Meakins and Dr. Jacqueline McClaran.

In this beautiful and fully illustrated catalogue, Dr. Meakins takes us through the collection’s history, which began forty years ago in Paris following an afternoon in a room full of prints by Camille Pissarro at the Grand Palais. He reflects upon how a collection is never static; it ebbs and flows much like life. The other essay by Erika Dolphin, a personal account of her exploration of the collection, examines the flourishing of images of landscape in northern Europe and illustrates how art in the form of a humble print can lead us to reflect upon the myriad wonders of life.

Softcover | 216 pages
24.5 x 30 cm (9.6 x 11.8 in.)
Publication Date: 2021

Erika Dolphin
with Jonathan L. Meakins

Le cosmos des collectionneurs. La Collection d’estampes Meakins–McClaran provides a glimpse into the making of what is, undoubtedly, the foremost private collection of 16th and 17th-century Dutch and Flemish prints in Canada. While that is the strength of the collection, there is also a joyful touch of eclecticism reflecting the Renaissance interests of the collectors Dr. Jonathan Meakins and Dr. Jacqueline McClaran.

In this beautiful and fully illustrated catalogue, Dr. Meakins takes us through the collection’s history, which began forty years ago in Paris following an afternoon in a room full of prints by Camille Pissarro at the Grand Palais. He reflects upon how a collection is never static; it ebbs and flows much like life. The other essay by Erika Dolphin, a personal account of her exploration of the collection, examines the flourishing of images of landscape in northern Europe and illustrates how art in the form of a humble print can lead us to reflect upon the myriad wonders of life.

Softcover | 216 pages
24.5 x 30 cm (9.6 x 11.8 in.)
Publication Date: 2021

Martina Weinhart

With contributions by Rebecca Herlemann, Ruth Phillips, Carmen Robertson, Jeff Thomas, Georgiana Uhlaryik, Reneée van der Avoird, Martina Weinhart and Interviews with Lisa Jackson and Caroline Monnet

In the early 20th century, artists such as Emily Carr, Tom Thomson, and members of what would become the Group of Seven, transformed Post-Impressionism techniques into exciting new ways of interpreting the Canadian landscape.

Challenging existing traditions, they left major cities such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver and ventured deep into the Canadian wilderness. Often remaining in the bush for weeks on end, they reimagined the natural world using bold colours, stylized forms, and dynamic brushwork, producing vibrant modernist works that would define Canada and Canadian art for decades to come.

Premiering at Frankfurt’s Schirn Kunsthalle, Magnetic North features 87 works of art, including 23 works from the National Gallery of Canada. The exhibition also comprises five films, including two by contemporary Indigenous artists: How a People Live, a documentary by filmmaker Lisa Jackson and Mobilize, a short film by artist Caroline Monnet.

Magnetic North was organized by the SCHIRN KUNSTHALLE FRANKFURT, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the National Gallery of Canada, with the generous support of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Hardcover | 240 pages
23.5 x 27.5 cm (9.25 x 10.82 in)
Publication Date: 2021

Martina Weinhart

With contributions by Rebecca Herlemann, Ruth Phillips, Carmen Robertson, Jeff Thomas, Georgiana Uhlaryik, Reneée van der Avoird, Martina Weinhart and Interviews with Lisa Jackson and Caroline Monnet

In the early 20th century, artists such as Emily Carr, Tom Thomson, and members of what would become the Group of Seven, transformed Post-Impressionism techniques into exciting new ways of interpreting the Canadian landscape.

Challenging existing traditions, they left major cities such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver and ventured deep into the Canadian wilderness. Often remaining in the bush for weeks on end, they reimagined the natural world using bold colours, stylized forms, and dynamic brushwork, producing vibrant modernist works that would define Canada and Canadian art for decades to come.

Premiering at Frankfurt’s Schirn Kunsthalle, Magnetic North features 87 works of art, including 23 works from the National Gallery of Canada. The exhibition also comprises five films, including two by contemporary Indigenous artists: How a People Live, a documentary by filmmaker Lisa Jackson and Mobilize, a short film by artist Caroline Monnet.

Magnetic North was organized by the SCHIRN KUNSTHALLE FRANKFURT, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the National Gallery of Canada, with the generous support of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Hardcover | 240 pages
23.5 x 27.5 cm (9.25 x 10.82 in)
Publication Date: 2021