The dancing colours of Oak Bay artist Ted Harrison’s paintings deserve to be included in the National Gallery of Canada, say a group of Greater Victoria politicians.
Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen, Oak Bay-Gordon Head MLA Andrew Weaver and Victoria MP Murray Rankin — as well as Oak Bay arts laureate Barbara Adams — have sent a letter to the National Gallery’s board of trustees emphasizing Harrison’s importance in British Columbia and asking that his work be added to the collection.
“There are few Victorians who have seen the Olympic Mountains glow purple after the sunset and not felt that nature was imitating a Ted Harrison painting, rather than the other way around,” the letter reads.
“Ted Harrison’s body of work illuminated the spirit of life in the Yukon and British Columbia with unique beauty, capturing a vital piece of our Canadian identity.”
The letter joins a chorus that began in the Yukon after Harrison died Jan. 16 at age 88.
Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloski and the territory’s member of Parliament, Ryan Leef, said Yukon artists are underrepresented in the gallery’s collection. In his letter to the board of trustees, Pasloski said only one Yukon artist, Douglas Smarch Jr., has work in the gallery’s collection.
“Yukoners, and indeed all Canadians, deserve to have artwork reflecting the true essence of all regions of Canada on display as part of our national collection,” Pasloski wrote in his letter.
The collection also includes Yukon-inspired works by other artists, according to its online listings, including Orest Semchishen, Shari Hatt and A.Y. Jackson.
Harrison, an English-born painter, created thousands of pieces as a working artist. He moved to the Yukon in 1967, painting life in the North, before relocating to Vancouver Island in 1993. He received the Order of Canada in 1987 for his contributions to Canadian culture as an illustrator, storyteller and “renowned painter of northern subjects.”
The National Gallery was asked in 2009 to add Harrison’s work to its collection, but chose not to.
A spokeswoman for the gallery did not say whether Harrison’s work would be formally considered again.
“The gallery always welcomes the views of Canadians on artists and works of art that should be collected,” said Josée-Britanie Mallet, senior media and public relations officer, in an email.
“The gallery’s mandate, however, requires that its acquisition process follows a rigorous process at arm’s length from public opinion or the art marketplace. The gallery’s team of expert curators recommends acquisitions based on outstanding artistic and historical merits.”
Jensen said he has not received a response directly from the gallery. In addition to his artwork, Harrison was a valuable community member who worked with elementary school students and participated in Oak Bay’s centennial celebrations in 2006, Jensen said.
“Ted meant a lot to us in Oak Bay,” he said.
“He’s done so much art in the community, we know who he is, and we certainly cherish the work he’s done.
“I think it would be a fitting recognition of a man who has contributed so much to the arts and so much to the community.”
An exhibition and sale of art by Harrison will be held at Christ Church Cathedral, from April 7 to April 24.
