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COLLYER, Nora Frances Elizabeth

Born
Montreal, Quebec, 1898
Died
Montreal, Quebec, 1979
Biography synopsis
Nora Frances Elizabeth Collyer studied for nine years at the Art Association of Montreal with Alberta Cleland, William Brymner and Maurice Cullen. In 1913 and 1914 she won scholarships at the Association. She taught art at Trafalgar School, Montreal, between 1925 and 1930, and she taught at the Art Association of Montreal in 1940. She exhibited her work at a number of the Canadian Group of Painters shows, and at the New York World’s Fair (1939). Her first solo exhibition was at the Dominion Gallery, Montreal (1946), and she had a second show at the Walter Klinkhoff Gallery in 1964. Her work was the subject of a retrospective exhibition organized by the National Gallery of Canada in 1969. Collyer was a member of the Beaver Hall Group, a group of thirty Montreal artists who exhibited together around 1921-22.
Media used
Painting
Education
Art Association of Montreal (under Alberta Cleland; William Brymner; Maurice Cullen)
Memberships
Beaver Hall Group, 1921
File & Archive locations
University of British Columbia - Fine Arts Library
London Public Library, ON
National Gallery of Canada, ON - Library and Archives
Art Gallery of Ontario - Edward P. Taylor Research Library and Archives
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts / Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, QC
Toronto Reference Library, ON
Canadian Women Artists History Initiative Documentation Centre, QC
Library and Archives Canada / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, ON
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Writings about
Avon, Susan. The Beaver Hall Group and its Place in the Montreal Art Milieu and the Nationalist Network Montreal: Concordia University, 1994
Davies, Blodwen. "Canadian Women of Brush and Chisel." Chatelaine 3 (Jun. 1930): 9, 42
Des Rochers Jacques, and Brian Foss, editors. 1920s Modernism in Montreal: The Beaver Hall Group. Une Modernite des Annees 1920 Montreal, Le Groupe de Beaver Hall Montreal, QC: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts ; Black Dog Publishing, 2015
Gwyn, Sandra. Women in the Arts in Canada Ottawa: Royal Commission on the Status of Women, 1971
Kollar, Kathryn L. Women Painters of the Beaver Hall Group Montreal: Concordia Art Gallery, 1982
Lerner, Loren. "From Victorian Girl Reader to Modern Women Artist: Reading and Seeing in the paintings of the Canadian Girl by William Brymner, Emily Coonan, and Prudence Heward." Canadian Children's Literature 33.2 (2007): 19-50
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
Meadowcroft, Barbara. Painting Friends: The Beaver Hall Women Painters Montreal: Vehicule Press, 1999
Millar, Joyce. "The Beaver Hall Group: Painting in Montreal 1920-1940." Woman's Art Journal 13.1 (Spring-Summer 1992): 3-9
Morgan-Powell, S. "A Final Glance Around the Art Exhibition Here." Star (Montreal) 12 Apr. 1922
National Gallery of Canada. The Beaver Hall Hill Group/Le groupe de Beaver Hall Hill. Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 1966
Walters, Evelyn. The Beaver Hall Group and its Legacy Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2017
Walters, Evelyn. The Women of Beaver Hall: Canadian Modernist Painters. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2005

Full text pdfs of exhibition reviews
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 25, 1920) "Artist's Efforts Reach High Level."  Gazette (Montreal)  March 26, 1920.  p.6.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, April 01, 1921) "Fewer Paintings, Higher Standards. Thirty-Eighth Annual Exhibition of Art Association of Montreal. Private View Last Night."  Gazette (Montreal)  April 01, 1921.  p.11.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 21, 1922) "Exhibits Drawn From Wide Area. Growing Importance of Spring Art Exhibition More Generally Recognized."  Gazette (Montreal)  March 21, 1922.  p.5.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 21, 1922) "Quelques heros de Louis Hemon en sculpture. Maria Chapdelaine, son père et sa mère figurent au Salon des Artistes. Oeuvres de Suzor Cote."  La Presse (Montreal)  March 24, 1922.  p.12.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 21, 1922) S. Morgan-Powell.  "A Final Glance Around the Art Exhibition Here. II."  Montreal Daily Star  April 12, 1922.  p.6.   Full-text pdf
Royal Canadian Academy Annual Exhibition: (Montreal, November 16, 1922) "High Standard Set by R.C.A. Pictures. Forty-Fourth Exhibition Opened With Private View Last Night."  Gazette (Montreal)  November 17, 1922.  p.9.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 16, 1923) "Montreal Artists Well Represented. High Standard Set at Spring Exhibition of Art Association."  Gazette (Montreal)  March 16, 1923.  p.6.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 27, 1924) "Meritorious Work at Spring Exhibit. Mural Paintings in R.C.A. Competition Part of Entries at Art Gallery."  Gazette (Montreal)  March 28, 1924.  p.15.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, April 26, 1925) "Art Association's Spring Exhibition."  Gazette (Montreal)  April 03, 1925.  p.6.   Full-text pdf
Royal Canadian Academy Annual Exhibition: (Montreal, November 19, 1925) "Fine Work Marks R.C.A. Exhibition. New Schools Offer Contrast to Solidly-Based Qualities of Older and Established Painters."  Gazette (Montreal)  November 20, 1925.  p.10.   Full-text pdf
Royal Canadian Academy Annual Exhibition: (Montreal, November 19, 1925) S. Morgan-Powell.  "Academy Exhibition Canvases That Have Attracted Attention."  Montreal Star  December 16, 1925.  p.6.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 24, 1927) "Over 300 Exhibits in Spring Art Show. Forty-fourth Exhibition Opened with Private View Last Night. Will Close April 18. Landscapes and Marines Predominate - Some Prominent Artists and Several of Younger Group Unrepresented."  Gazette (Montreal)  March 25, 1927.  p.6.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 24, 1927) H. P. Bell.  "Landscape Prevails in Spring Exhibition of Art Association."  Montreal Star  March 25, 1927.  p.6.   Full-text pdf
Royal Canadian Academy Annual Exhibition: (Montreal, November 24, 1927) Albert Laberge.  "Appréciation de quelques toiles du Salon des artistes Canadiens."  La Presse (Montreal)  December 03, 1927.  p.52.   Full-text pdf
Royal Canadian Academy Annual Exhibition: (Montreal, November 21, 1929) "R.C.A. Show Opened with Private View. Fifty-first Annual Exhibition Housed in Art Association Galleries."  Gazette (Montreal)  November 22, 1929.  p.18.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 21, 1930) "Spring Exhibition Has Private View."  Gazette (Montreal)  March 22, 1930.  p.3.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 20, 1931) "Art Association 48th Spring Show High In Interest."  Gazette (Montreal)  March 21, 1931.  p.16.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 16, 1933) "Spring Exhibition of Art Association Was Opened on Thursday."  Montreal Star  March 17, 1933.  p.19.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 16, 1933) "50th Spring Show Opened to Public. Jury Shows Open Mind. From Over 1,000 Entries, 543 Works Representative of Various Schools Have Been Selected."  Gazette (Montreal)  March 17, 1933.  p.6.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, April 15, 1934) "Art Association Spring Show Opens. Private View Inaugurates Exhibition Containing Over Five Hundred Works."  Gazette (Montreal)  April 20, 1934.  p.17.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, April 15, 1934) "Fifty-First Spring Exhibition of the Art Association."  Montreal Star  April 20, 1934.  p.15.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 21, 1935) "Nearly 500 Works at Spring Exhibit. Variety in Show at Galleries of Art Association of Montreal. 1,080 Items Submitted. Judges Reveal Open Minds and 52nd Annual Contains Much to Meet Differing Tastes."  Gazette (Montreal)  March 22, 1935.  p.3.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 21, 1935) "Spring Exhibition of Art Association Opened on Thursday."  Montreal Star  March 22, 1935.  p.17.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 19, 1936) "Spring Exhibition on Generous Scale. Show at Art Gallery Opened Last Night Contains 621 Items."  Gazette (Montreal)  March 20, 1936.  p.2.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 19, 1936) "Annual Spring Exhibition at Art Association."  Montreal Star  March 20, 1936.  p.8.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 18, 1937) "The Spring Exhibition of the Art Association."  Montreal Star  March 19, 1937.  p.17.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 18, 1937) "Nearly 500 Works at Spring Exhibit. Art Association's 54th Annual Show Opens with Private Views. Judges Open-Minded."  Gazette (Montreal)  March 19, 1937.  p.13,17.   Full-text pdf
Royal Canadian Academy Annual Exhibition: (Montreal, November 18, 1937) "Royal Canadian Academy Show is Opened at Art Association. Portraiture Represented by Good Examples and Landscapes as Usual Predominate."  Gazette (Montreal)  November 19, 1937.  p.12.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, 1938) "Works in Art Exhibition Are of Unusual Merit. New Policy of Showing More Carefully Selected Pieces Followed by Association."  Montreal Star  March 18, 1938.  p.17.   Full-text pdf
Royal Canadian Academy Annual Exhibition: (, November 16, 1939) "R.C.A. Exhibition Has Private View. Over 300 Works in Galleries of Art Association of Montreal. Standard Maintained."  Gazette (Montreal)  November 17, 1939.  p.5.   Full-text pdf
Royal Canadian Academy Annual Exhibition: (, November 16, 1939) "Canadian Academy Opens Sixtieth Exhibition."  Montreal Star  November 17, 1939.  p.11.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 15, 1940) "Art Association Opens 57th Spring Exhibit. Notable Feature of Display Is Unusually Large Proportion Of Portraits or Portrait Studies."  Montreal Star  March 21, 1940.  p.19.   Full-text pdf

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