Audain Art Museum presents vast print exhibition of Dutch masters in The Collectors' Cosmos, to May 15
Opening January 28, The Meakins-McClaran Print Collection features more than 170 rarely seen works from the 16th and 17th centuries
Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-portrait in a Cap, Laughing, 1630, etching with drypoint, plate: 5 × 4.2 cm; sheet: 5.2 × 4.7 cm. Collection of Dr. Jonathan Meakins and Dr. Jacqueline McClaran. Photo by Denis Farley
Audain Art Museum presents The Collectors' Cosmos: The Meakins-McClaran Print Collection from January 28 to May 15
THE COLLECTORS’ COSMOS: The Meakins-McClaran Print Collection at Audain Art Museum offers a rarely seen display of Dutch and Flemish prints from the 16th- and 17th-centuries. The exhibition gives a glimpse into the making of what became one of the foremost private collections of European prints in Canada.
The compelling collection of prints evolved over the course of 40 years. The collectors, Dr. Jonathan Meakins, an officer of the Order of Canada and former head of surgery at McGill University Health Centre, and Dr. Jacqueline McClaran, the founder and first director of the McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, shared a deep curiosity about the world, according to a release. They also had an interest in landscapes and the striking beauty of the printed line against the white page.
Organized by the National Gallery of Canada, The Collectors’ Cosmos is curated by AAM director and chief curator, Curtis Collins, who wanted to bring the exhibition to Whistler because of its historical and artistic significance. Among the show’s 170-plus works are prints by such notable European masters as Rembrandt van Rijn, Hendrick Goltzius, and Jacob van Ruisdael.
“The Museum is incredibly fortunate to have a facility that can host such a valuable collection,” Collins says. “Dutch masters of the era featured in this unique selection are rarely seen in British Columbia.
“Rembrandt [van Rijn] was the leading printmaker in Europe during the 1600s and was known for his innovative use of the medium,” Collins adds. “Visitors to the Museum will marvel at the incredible expressiveness of his lines”.
A fully illustrated exhibition catalogue is available for purchase at the Museum Store and its online shop. See Audain Art Museum for more information.
Jan Sadeler I after Maarten de Vos, The Seven Planets: Mercury, 1585, engraving, 23.5 × 24.6 cm. Collection of Dr. Jonathan Meakins and Dr. Jacqueline McClaran. Photo courtesy National Gallery of Canada
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