On view this weekend at the AGO

Paintings as bold as their lives

Arevelatory portrait of artistic ambition, showcasing the talents and impact of painters Mary Cassatt and Helen McNicoll, “Cassatt – McNicoll: Impressionists Between Worlds” is on now at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) through Sept. 4. The first exhibition to feature these two North American artists side by side, gathered here are more than 60 paintings and works on paper, celebrating two impressionist painters whose lives were as unconventional as their paintings were bold.

At a moment when most women were denied advanced art education and professional recognition, both Cassatt and McNicoll crossed the Atlantic to pursue careers

as professional artists. Their beautifully detailed paintings and novel compositions challenged expectations of what a painting should look like and how women were portrayed.

The exhibition, curated by the AGO’s Caroline Shields, features numerous works by McNicoll selected from the museum’s permanent collection. Born in Toronto in 1879, McNicoll lost her hearing at age two due to scarlet fever, and moved to Europe in her early 20s to pursue a career in art. With vibrant brushstrokes, McNicoll’s depictions of women, children and landscapes, remain some of the greatest examples of Impressionism in Canada.

The exhibition also marks the first major exhibition in Canada to centre Cassatt’s paintings. Born in Philadelphia in 1844, she settled in Paris in the 1870s and became the only North American artist to ever exhibit with the French Impressionists. No Canadian museums owns paintings by Cassatt, making this a unique opportunity to see her works.