The Vancouver Art Gallery Archives contain the official papers and records of the Gallery since its founding in 1931. In addition, the Archives include some of the personal papers of local artists and writers, such as the personal papers of painter and educator B.C. Binning.
The Library & Archives are not open to the public; however, research requests will be reviewed and scheduled by appointment.
Vancouver Art Gallery Archival Finding Aids
Vancouver Art Gallery fonds, 1925-present, 252 m of textual records and other material, Vancouver Art Gallery
Emily Carr documents collection, 1924-1951, 13 cm of textual records, Vancouver Art Gallery
Lawren Harris fonds, 1951-1957, 2.5 cm of textual records, Vancouver Art Gallery
J.W.G. (Jock) Macdonald fonds, 1934-1994, 5 cm of textual records, Vancouver Art Gallery
Frederick Horsman Varley fonds, 1939-[19-], 0.5 cm of textual records, Vancouver Art Gallery
Jack Akroyd fonds, 1953-1993, 5 cm of textual records, Vancouver Art Gallery
B.C. Binning family fonds, 1889-2001, 3.5 m of textual records and other material, Vancouver Art Gallery
Lincoln Clarkes fonds, 1986-2007, 23.2 cm of textual records, Vancouver Art Gallery
Paula Gustafson fonds, 1976-2005, 61 cm of textual records and other material, Vancouver Art Gallery
Grace Melvin fonds, 1915-1974, 17 cm of textual records, Vancouver Art Gallery
Harold Mortimer Lamb, Vera Weatherbie and Molly Lamb Bobak fonds, 1909-1978, 17 photographs and other material, Vancouver Art Gallery
Gary Ness fonds, 1958-2008, predominant 1958-1967, 11 cm of textual records, Vancouver Art Gallery
Margaret Peterson collection, 1956-2003, 15 cm of textual records, Vancouver Art Gallery
Charles H. Scott fonds, 1931-1964, 1974, 12 cm of textual records, Vancouver Art Gallery
Special Collections
bill bissett Special Collection
Born in Halifax in 1939 and now living in Toronto and Vancouver, bill bissett is a unique figure in the history of Canadian literature and art. bissett is the author of over 60 books of poetry and the founder of blewointment press, which published the early work of many experimental poets, including Maxine Gadd, Lionel Kearns, D. A. Levy, and bpNichol. He is also a visual artist and was the subject of a 1984 solo exhibition, Fires in th tempul, at the Vancouver Art Gallery, curated by Scott Watson. A renegade poet and free-spirited artist who contributed to changing the landscape of Canadian poetry in the 60s and 70s, bissett’s musical and visual approach to language continues to influence poets to this day.
The bill bissett special collection comprises over 100 items, including the following:
- monographs of bill bissett’s work, including many outstanding examples of concrete poetry;
- issues of blewointment magazine ranging from 1963-73, featuring contributions from bissett and other Canadian poets including Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje;
- miscellaneous serials containing bissett’s work, including a 1984 issue of The Capilano Review with a 33 1/3 rpm vinyl sound recording featuring a piece by bissett; and
- blewointment monographs by other poets, including D. A. Levy, Carolyn Zonailo, Cathy Ford, bpNichol and Robert Zend.
Many of the items in this collection were produced in limited editions and resemble chapbooks and zines in their use of creative printing techniques, mixed media illustration and unique art and ephemera inserts. For researchers of bissett’s poetry and artwork, concrete poetry, the history of British Columbia publishing and small press publishing in Canada, the bill bissett collection is a unique resource.
To find records for the items in this collection, search the Library Catalogue.
The Library Catalogue
The Library Catalogue lists books, exhibition catalogues, periodicals, Canadian artist files and sound recordings acquired after 1990. Publications acquired before 1990 are still being added to the Catalogue. Contact the Library to ask about older material in our collections.
History of Exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery
This in-house database documents over 2,500 of the Gallery’s exhibitions from 1931 to the present. To search the Exhibitions History Database, please contact the Library to make an appointment.
Additional Resources
These resources are useful for research on Canadian art and artists:
Artists in Canada This database, compiled and maintained by the National Gallery of Canada Library, is a bilingual union list that identifies the location of documentation files on Canadian artists in 23 libraries across the country.
Artefacts Canada: Humanities 4 million object records and 800,000 images from hundreds of museums across the country
British Columbia Artists Over 19,000 artists active in BC from 1890 onwards are listed, with over 1,600 biographies and index entries for exhibition histories.
Canadian Exhibition Reviews Online Database This database covers the Art Association of Montreal Spring Exhibitions, the Ontario Society of Artists Annual Exhibitions and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts Annual Exhibition for the years 1873 to 1940, including male and female artists, and pdf files of the reviews.
Canadian Women Artists History Initiative The Canadian Women Artists History Initiative brings resources and researchers together to enhance scholarship on historical women artists in Canada. It is based in the Department of Art History at Concordia University, Montreal and includes biographical information on hundreds of artists.
Index to Art in Canada to 1930 An index to works of art listed in Canadian exhibition, auction and collection catalogues from 1823 to 1930 with over 74,000 entries for works of art in over 380 catalogues.
MemoryBC This is a portal for access descriptions of archival materials preserved in repositories throughout the province, including the Vancouver Art Gallery Archives.
National Gallery of Canada Online Collections
Vancouver Art in the Sixties A research archive and educational resource that brings together still and moving images, ephemera, essays and interviews to explore the diverse artistic practices of Vancouver art in the 1960s and early 1970s.