Image: Helen McNicoll, Buttercups, c. 1910. Oil on canvas, 40.7 × 46.1 cm. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Bequest of Sylva Gelber, 2005. Photo: NGC
"Helen McNicoll: An Impressionist Journey," a touring exhibition created by the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, closes at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa on October 12, 2026. The Ottawa presentation, adapted by the National Gallery under the curatorial leadership of Katerina Atanassova, its senior curator of Canadian art, has been on view in the Special Exhibitions Galleries since May.
McNicoll, who lived from 1879 to 1915, was taught in Montreal by William Brymner and went on to work in Europe. According to the National Gallery, critics admired her handling of light and the immersive quality of her scenes, and her success helped raise the standing of Canadian art in both Britain and Canada. She was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists in 1913 and to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts a year later. She died in 1915, aged 35.
The exhibition covers roughly the decade from 1904 to 1915 and brings together more than eighty works, including paintings, sketchbooks and rare archival material. It is arranged by theme. Sections look at her interest in nature and light, at scenes of work, harvest and markets, at quiet images of children and home life, and at her portrayal of women as independent and engaged in society. The National Gallery also includes three works by McNicoll's painting companion, the British artist Dorothea Sharp, which it says are being shown publicly for the first time in more than a century.
Works on view include "Buttercups" (c. 1910), from the National Gallery's own collection, and "Stubble Fields" (c. 1912), which the gallery purchased in 1912. "In the Shadow of the Tree" (1915) comes from the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, while "The Chintz Sofa" (1913), "By the Lake" (1912), "Sunny Days" (1910) and "Footbridge in Venice" (c. 1910) are lent from the Pierre Lassonde Collection. Other paintings named by the gallery include "A Welcome Breeze" (c. 1909) and "Cherry Time" (c. 1912). The McMichael Canadian Art Collection has lent "Easter Lilies" (c. 1907), among other works.
Guided tours in French and English take place on Saturdays and holidays until the closing date.
