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HOLBROOK, Elizabeth (Mary Bradford)

Born
Hamilton, Ontario, 1913
Died
Hamilton, Ontario, 2009
Biography synopsis
Elizabeth Holbrook was born in 1913 in Hamilton, Ontario. She began studying art at the Hamilton Technical Institute with Hortense Gorden and continued at the Ontario College of Art from which she graduated with A.O.C.A. She continued her studies in London, England at the Royal College of Art. A sculptor, Holbrook has works in many institutional, government, museum, gallery and private collections. Perhaps her best known works include a bust of the Hon. Ellen Fairclough, the first female member of the Canadian Cabinet, and one of former Prime Minister John G. Diefenbaker, both in the Houses of Parliament in Ottawa. In addition to busts Holbrook also designed medals, jewelry and public sculptures.
Media used
Sculpture
Education
Hamilton Art School, 1928 - 1931 (under John Sloan, John Gordon, Hortense Gordon)
Ontario College of Art & Design (formerly Ontario School of Art), 1932 - 1935 (under Emanuel Hahn)
Royal College of Art, London, England, 1936 - ? (under Richard Garbe)
Cranbrook Academy of Arts, Bloomfield, Michigan, USA, 1941 - 1948 (under Carl Milles)
Hamilton Art School
Memberships
Order of Canada
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
Ontario Society of Artists
Sculptors' Society of Canada
Canadian Portrait Academy, 1997 - Founding Member
Order of Ontario
International Art Medal Association (FIDEM)
Medallic Art Society of Canada
Canadian Group of Art Medallists
File & Archive locations
University of Calgary Library, AB
University of British Columbia - Fine Arts Library
Library and Archives Canada / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, ON
London Public Library, ON
National Gallery of Canada, ON - Library and Archives
Art Gallery of Ontario - Edward P. Taylor Research Library and Archives
Vancouver Art Gallery, BC - Library
Hamilton Public Library, ON - Local History and Archives Department
Canadian Women Artists History Initiative Documentation Centre, QC
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Writings about
Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook, Sculptor 2010
http://elizabethbradfordholbrook.com/
"119 Entries on Display at Art Exhibit: Annual Spring Show Smaller But Works of Better Quality." Standard 6 Mar. 1948
"53 personnes recoivent l'Ordre du Canada." La Presse (Montreal) 18 Nov. 1995: A31
"65th Spring Exhibition: Annual Show is Opened at Art Association." Toronto Star 04 Mar. 1948
"Art Gallery Spring Show Juries Pick 119 Items From 1,400 Entries." Gazette (Montreal) 04 Mar. 1948
"Claude Ryan devient Compagnon de l'Ordre du Canada." La Presse 30 Jun. 1995: A20
"Correction." Hamilton Spectator 3 Apr. 2009: A2
"Defence of French Art in War to be Described." Star (Toronto) Mar. 1948
"Fifty-Three Invested in Order of Canada." Edmonton Journal 17 Nov. 1995: A4
"LeBlanc Names 79 to Order of Canada: Edmontonians Among Those Appointed." Edmonton Journal 30 Jun. 1995: E10
"McGill Prof, Ryan Named Companions of Order of Canada." Gazette (Montreal) 30 Jun. 1995: A11
"Order of Canada Honours Announced by Governor-General Drabinsky, Ryan Among 79 Citizens to be Appointed or Promoted for Achievement." Globe and Mail (Toronto) 30 Jun. 1995: A3
"Ryan, Voisine decores de l'Ordre du Canada." Le Droit (Montreal) 30 Jun. 1995: 2
"Tells How Art Pieces Preserved in Safety." Gazette (Montreal) 17 Mar. 1948
Abbate, Gay. "Sculptor Brought Bronze to Life." Globe and Mail (Toronto) 14 Mar. 2009: S11
American Federation of Arts. Who's Who in American Art, 1986. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1986
American Federation of Arts. Who's Who in American Art, 1989. Washington, DC: R.R. Bowker, 1989
Art Gallery of Hamilton. First Exhibition of the Contemporary Artists of Hamilton. Hamilton: Art Gallery of Hamilton, 1949
Art Gallery of Hamilton. Sculptures of Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook: Art Gallery of Hamilton, March 7-31, 1974. Hamilton: Art Gallery of Hamilton, 1974
Bell, Pat. "Five Ottawa-Area Residents Appointed to Prestigious Order of Canada." Ottawa Citizen 2 Jul. 1995: A5
Canadian Crossroads International. "Sculptor Elizabeth Holbrook, Renowned for Bust of CCI's Founder, Passes Away at Age 95." http://bbnc.cciorg.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=788 2008
Canadian Press Newswire. "Garth Drabinsky Among 79 Names to Order of Canada." Toronto Star 30 Jun. 1995: A11
Cherry, Zena. "Academy Show at Ex." Globe and Mail 15 Aug. 1980: P12
Cherry, Zena. "Medalist, 65, Celebrates 30 Years in Canada." Globe & Mail (Toronto) 21 Nov. 1978: P12
Cherry, Zena. "Medals Given to Horse Owners." Globe & Mail (Toronto) 15 Nov. 1978: P12
Corbet, Christian. "Dora de Pedery-Hunt (Obituaries) (In Memoriam)." Globe & Mail (Toronto) 17 Nov. 2008: S10
Davie, Michael B. "Pull Up a Room and Stay Awhile; Niagara-on-the-Lake is an Entertaining Town, Day and Night." Toronto Star 3 May 2001: K7.
Deathwatch Central. "Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook, Sculptor, 95." http://slick.org/deathwatch/mailarchive/msg02345.html 2009
Fetherling, Douglas. "Who's Who as a Sociological Relief Map." Whig-Standard (Kingston) 16 Jan. 1988: 1
Fragomeni, Carmela. "Sculpting Pioneer; Hamiltonian Stretched Social Limits When Art was Considered Man's Game." Hamilton Spectator 10 Mar. 2009: A2
Fulford, Robert. "Who's Who is a Book of 15,000 Authors." Globe and Mail (Toronto) 26 Sept. 1998: D16
Haggo, Regina. “Holbrook’s panels sleek, simplified and modern.” Hamilton Spectator 27 July 2011, A7
http://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/2011/07/27/elizabeth-holbrook-s-panels-sleek-simplified-and-modern.html
Hamilton Gallery of Distinction. "Inductees for 1994: Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook." http://www.myhamilton.ca/myHamilton/LibraryServices/GalleryofDistinctionPage.htm?pagetype=show&id=117 2007
House of Commons Heritage Collection. "Sculpture." http://www.parl.gc.ca/Sites/Collections//fine_arts/sculpture-e.htm 2008
Kritzwiser, Kay. "To China for Charm and a Taste of History." Globe & Mail (Toronto) 23 Aug. 1980: T5
MacDonald, Colin S. The Dictionary of Canadian Artists. (Volumes 1-8 by Colin S. MacDonald, and volume 9 by Anne Newlands and Judith Parker) Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 2009.
MacDougall, James, Judith Finch & Doris McCarthy. The Ontario Society of Artists 1995. Toronto: Ontario Society of Artists, 1995
McMann, Evelyn de Rostaing. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Formerly Art Association of Montreal: Spring Exhibitions, 1880-1970. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1988
McMann, Evelyn de Rostaing. Royal Canadian Academy of Arts/Académie royale des arts du Canada: Exhibitions and Members 1880-1979 Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1981
McMaster University Art Gallery. Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook R.C.A. : A Retrospective. Hamilton: The Gallery, 1989
National Gallery of Canada. National Gallery of Canada Catalogue of Canadian Art. Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 1988
New Forest Pony Society of North America. "A Tribute to Mrs. Holbrook." http://www.nfpsna.com/news.htm 2009
Newswire. "53 Canadians Honored - Canadian Press." Times-Colonist (Victoria) 17 Nov. 1995: 1
Ontario Library Review. Who's Who in Canadian Art: From Ontario Library Review, November 1947-August 1962. Toronto: Government Printer, 1948
Ontario Society of Artists. Catalogue of the Ninety-Seventh Annual Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture of the Ontario Society of Artists, 1969. London, Ontario: Unknown, 1969
Ontario Society of Artists. "Member Profile: Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook." http://www.ontariosocietyofartists.org/profiles/holbrook.html ?
Pearson, Mike. "Sculptor Elizabeth Holbrook was a Local Arts Icon: Artisan Sculpted Some of Most Recognizable Public Figures of the 20th Century." Dundas Star News 6 Mar. 2009
Rapoport, Paul. "Elizabeth Holbrook." Globe and Mail (Toronto) 20 Mar. 2009: S7
Sculptors Society of Canada. "Elizabeth Holbrook." http://www.cansculpt.org/memberDetails.php?id=61&fn=Elizabeth&ln=Holbrook 2004
Simpson, Kieran, ed. Canadian Who's Who, 1988. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1988
Simpson, Kieran, ed. Canadian Who's Who, 1993. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1993
Wolff, Hennie. Index of Ontario Artists. Toronto: Visual Arts of Ontario, Ontario Association of Art Galleries, 1978
Wood, Elizabeth Wyn. "Observations on a Decade ... 1938-1948: Ten Years of Canadian Sculpture." Journal, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada 25.1 (Jan. 1948): 15-19

Writings by
Holbrook, Elizabeth. "Dr. James H. Robinson." [Reproduction] National Sculpture Review 18.1 (Spring 1969): 9
Holbrook, Elizabeth. "Emanuel Hahn." [Reproduction] Canadian Art 10.4 (1953): 139
Holbrook, Elizabeth. "Harry Somers." [Reproduction] Canadian Art 21 (Sept. 1964): 303

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