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Member's Book Reviews
Uninvited: Canadian Women Artists in the Modern Moment by Sarah Milroy
This book is a must read as it celebrates the talent of Canadian women artists in the
interwar period. It provides a comprehensive cross-Canada presentation of the art
developed by women during this particular historical period. The book includes many
examples of women’s art, including First Nation visual artists, and addresses how
Canadian female artists were excluded from major art exhibitions and societies at this
time, particularly as interest in the Group of Seven developed. And, because they did not
receive the same financial support and recognition as their male colleagues, these women
produced their work under difficult circumstances. This book, in the words of the editor, is
helping “Canadians to experience at last the irrefutable evidence of women’s contribution
to the visual arts in the modern period....” It is visually attractive, inclusive and well
documented.
Although the book tends to be dominated primarily by central Canadian artists, Emily Carr
and Vera Weatherbie represent the British Columbia group. It is well worth taking a look as
it captures the variety and incredible talent of many Canadian women artists struggling for
recognition and acceptance.
Sarah Milroy, the author, is a Toronto writer and art critic.
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel
This is a story of the prolific art thief, Stephane Breitwieser, who successfully carried out
hundreds of thefts from museums and churches across Europe during the 90’s. He and his
girlfriend, Anne-Catherine, who served as a lookout, stole more than 300 works of art,
worth an estimated $2 billion in total, before being caught. He kept these in the attic of his
mother’s home. There, George Petel’s 1627 sculpture, “Adam and Eve” was on the bedside
table, next to a 19th century vase and a tobacco box ‘commissioned by Napoleon himself’.
This book also chronicles many of the well known historical art heists but concentrates on
delving into the bizarre and fascinating world of Breitwieser, who, devoted to beauty,
apparently stole for esthetic and personal reasons and not for profit. He is said to have
possessed an amazing ability to circumvent security systems and take joy in accomplishing
audacious thefts. Some psychological analyses attempt to diagnose his compulsive
behaviour, and although interesting, tend to be inconclusive.
A story of art, crime, love and one man’s insatiable hunger to possess beautiful pieces of
art at any cost. A quick, interesting and fun read.
All The Beauty in the World, A Museum Guard's Adventures in Life, Loss, and Art by Patrick Brinkley.
When Patrick's beloved older brother Thomas dies of cancer at the age of only 26, Patrick is devastated and quits his job at the New York Times, and takes a new job which will allow him to process his grief at his own pace. As a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art he becomes appreciative of the meditative calm and balm that the works of art provide. Gradually his loss begins to recede and is replaced with a powerful appreciation for redemptive power of great art and the supportive community that his circle of colleagues offer. As his knowledge of the art that he guards widens and deepens he is finally able to emerge transformed from his tenure at the MET. He is able to fully re-engage with life, grateful for all its pain, pleasure, and hope.
An emotionally engaging read, All the Beauty in the World provides a great opportunity to learn about the collections of this iconic museum - and to plan your next visit to NYC!
Published by Vintage, Penguin Random House, 2023
Review by Liz S
