Historical watercolour painting by Emily Carr acquired by Whistler’s Audain Art Museum — Stir

AUDAIN ART MUSEUM has acquired a historical watercolour painting by revered British Columbia artist Emily Carr. War Canoes, Alert Bay, created circa 1908, was held for many years in private collections.

Unveiled at the Heffel Fine Art Auction House on October 16, it was paired with an iconic oil on canvas of the same name from 1912 from the Whistler museum’s permanent collection, signifying the reunion of two closely related Carr masterworks.

The newly acquired watercolour features a scene with three dugout canoes in the foreground, each bearing distinctive Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw-inspired imagery. The work exemplifies Carr’s early traditional style and features the sombre light of the Northwest Coast, with a hillside and trees in the background.

Likely first shown in Vancouver in 1913, the watercolour has since been featured in every major exhibition of Carr’s work to date, including the Audain Art Museum’s 2019 show, Fresh Seeing, which explored a transformational period of her career.