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Catalogue entry
1915-1916.02
Spring Ice
Winter 1915–16
Oil on canvas
28 3/8 x 40 1/4 in. (72 x 102.3 cm)
Inscription recto: l.r., TOM THOMSON
Provenance
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (1195). Purchased from the artist through the Ontario Society of Artists, 1916
Exhibition History
1916 OSA
Ontario Society of Artists, Art Museum of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario Society of Artists Forty-fourth Annual Exhibition, March 11–April 15, 1916, no. 124.1918 Halifax
Nova Scotia Museum of Fine Arts, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Paintings by Canadian Artists, Loaned by the National
Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, February 26–December 1917, no. 26. Traveled to: Saint John Art Club Studio, Saint John, New Brunswick, January 30, 1918.1920 Thomson
Art Gallery of Toronto, Toronto, Memorial Exhibition of Paintings by Tom Thomson, February 13–29, 1920, no. 4.1922 Thomson NGC
1922.1922 Thomson Owen Sound
1922, no. 26.1925 Wembley
British Empire, Fine Arts Galleries, Wembley Park, London, British Empire Exhibition, Canadian Section of Fine Arts, May 9–October 1925, E.E. 26. Traveled to: Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, November 26–December 23, 1925 (as Exhibition of Canadian Art); York City Art Gallery, United Kingdom, January 16–February 13, 1926; Corporation Art Gallery, Bury, United Kingdom, February 20–March 20, 1926 (as Exhibition of Canadian Art); Blackpool, United Kingdom, March 27–April 24, 1926; Corporation Art Gallery, Rochdale, United Kingdom, May 1–29, 1926 (as Exhibition of Canadian Art); Corporation Art Gallery, Oldham, United Kingdom, June 12–July 10, 1926 (as Exhibition of Canadian Art); Cartwright Memorial Hall, Bradford, United Kingdom, July 17–August 14, 1926; Queen's Park Branch Art Gallery, Manchester, United Kingdom, August 28–October 9, 1926 (as Exhibition of Canadian Pictures); Sheffield, United Kingdom, October 15–December 11, 1926; Municipal Museum and Art Gallery, Plymouth, United Kingdom, January 12–February 12, 1927.1927 Paris
Musée & du Jeu de Paume, Paris, Exposition d'art canadien, April 10–May 10, 1927, no. 235.1932 Thomson
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Imperial Economic Conference, July 18, 1932–January 23, 1933, no. 1.1938 Tate
Tate, London, A Century of Canadian Art, October 15–December 15, 1938, no. 212.1949 Richmond
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, Exhibition of Canadian Painting, 1668 - 1948, February 16–March 20, 1949, no. 72.1949 Boston
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Forty Years of Canadian Painting: From Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven to the Present Day, July 14–September 25, 1949, no. 92.1950 Washington
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Canadian Painting: An Exhibition Arranged by the National Gallery of Canada, October 29–December 10, 1950, no. 80. Traveled to: California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, January 5–30, 1951; Fine Arts Society of San Diego, San Diego, February 1951; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California, March 1951; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, April 4–May 6, 1951; Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, May 15–June 11, 1951.1953 NGC
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Exhibition of Canadian Painting to Celebrate the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, June 2–September 13, 1953, no. 66.1954 VAG
Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Group of Seven, March 29–April 25, 1954, no. 67.1957 Thomson Windsor
Willistead Art Gallery, Windsor, Tom Thomson 1877 - 1917, October 6–November 2, 1957, no. 11, (repr. col.)1958 Los Angeles
National Gallery of Canada, Canadian Cultural Exhibition, Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, Tom Thomson, January–March 1958.1967 NGC (2)
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Three Hundred Years of Canadian Art, May 12–September 17, 1967, no. 194. Traveled to: Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, October 20–November 26, 1967.1968 NGC
National Gallery of Canada, Saskatoon Art Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Traditional Landscape Painting in Canada, September 5–29, 1968, no. 15. Traveled to: Sir George Williams University, Montreal, October 11–November 3, 1968; Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, November 15–December 8, 1968; St. Catharines and District Arts Council, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, December 20, 1968–January 15, 1969; Dalhousie Art Gallery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, January 29–February 23, 1969; Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, March 7–30, 1969; Memorial University, St. John's, Canada, April 11–May 4, 1969; Confederation Art Gallery and Museum, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, May 16–June 8, 1969; London Public Library and Art Museum, London, Ontario, October 28–November 23, 1969; Students' Union, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, January 21–February 15, 1970; Glenbow Foundation, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, March 6–29, 1970; Glenbow Foundation, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, March 6–29, 1970; Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, April 17–May 10, 1970.1970 NGC
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, The Group of Seven, June 19–September 8, 1970, no. 63, (repr.) Traveled to: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, September 22–October 31, 1970.1971 Thomson
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, The Art of Tom Thomson, October 30–December 12, 1971, no. 78, (repr.) Traveled to: Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, January 15–February 3, 1972; Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, February 25–March 31, 1972; Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, April 14–May 28, 1972; Confederation Art Gallery, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, July 2–September 5, 1972.2004 St. Petersburg
Art Gallery of Ontario, Alexander Hall, The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, Tom Thomson, September 10–November 14, 2004, no. 39, l.2011 Dulwich
Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, Painting Canada: Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven, October 19, 2011–January 8, 2012, no. 1, Pl. 8 (repr. col.) Traveled to: National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo, Norway, January 29–May 13, 2012; The Groninger Museum, Groninger, the Netherlands, June 3–October 28, 2012.Published References
Ball 1916
Ball, Helen. "Trying to Understand Artists and Their Arts." Toronto Daily News, 11 March 1916.Mail and Empire 1916
"Ontario Artists Do Daring Work." Mail and Empire (Toronto), 11 March 1916.Brown 1917
Brown, Eric. "Landscape Art in Canada." In Art of the British Empire Overseas, Charles Holme, ed. London: The Studio Ltd., 1917, p. 33 (repr.)Fairley 1920
Fairley, Barker. "Tom Thomson and Others." Rebel 6, no. 6 (March 1920), p. 246.Toronto Daily Star 1920a
"Memorial Exhibition to Artist of North." Toronto Daily Star, 18 February 1920.NGC 1926
National Gallery of Canada. Press Comments on the Canadian Section of Fine Arts, British Empire Exhibition,
1924-1925. Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 1926, pp. 64, 70.Brown 1932
Brown, Eric. "Canada's National Painter." Studio 103, no. 471 (June 1932), p. 319 (repr. col.)Robson 1932
Robson, Albert H. Canadian Landscape Painters. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1932, p. 149 (repr. col.)Lismer 1932c
Lismer, Arthur. Outline for Picture Study: Spring Ice. Series 1, no. 3. Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 1932.Davies 1935
Davies, Blodwen. A Study of Tom Thomson: The Story of a Man Who Looked for Beauty and for
Truth in the Wilderness. Toronto: The Discus Press, 1935, p. 37 (repr. col.)Buckman 1937
Buckman, Edward. "With Canadian Pioneers." Magazine of Art 30, no. 9 (September 1937), p. 570 (repr.)Robson 1937
Robson, Albert H. Tom Thomson. , Canadian Art Series. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1937, pp. 28–29 (repr. col.)McInnes 1937b
McInnes, G.C. "Art of Canada." Studio 114, no. 533 (August 1937), p. 67 (repr. col.)Buchanan 1938
Buchanan, Donald W. "The Story of Canadian Art." Canadian Geographical Journal 17, no. 6 (December 1938), p. 289 (repr.)McInnes 1939b
McInnes, G.C. A Short History of Canadian Art. Toronto: MacMillan Company of Canada Ltd., 1939, (repr. col.)Buchanan 1945
Buchanan, Donald W. Canadian Painters from Paul Kane to the Group of Seven. Oxford & London: Phaidon Press, 1945, fig. 45 (repr.)Buchanan 1946
Buchanan, Donald W. "Tom Thomson - Painter True North." Canadian Geographical Journal 33, no. 2 (August 1946), p. 99 (repr. col.)Saunders 1947
Saunders, Audrey. Algonquin Story. Toronto: Department of Lands and Forests, 1947, p. 170.Buchanan 1950
Buchanan, Donald W. The Growth of Canadian Painting. London and Toronto: Collins, 1950, p. 31.McInnes 1950
McInnes, G.C. Canadian Art. Toronto: MacMillan Company of Canada Ltd., 1950, p. 55 (repr. col.)Hubbard 1960b
Hubbard, R.H. National Gallery of Canada, Catalogue of Paintings and Sculpture. Vol. III, Canadian School. Ottawa, Toronto: University of Toronto Press 1960, p. 294 (repr.)Hubbard 1962
Hubbard, R.H. The Gallery of Canadian Art, 2 Tom Thomson. Toronto: Society For Art Publications and McClelland and Stewart Limited, 1962, pp. 10, pl. 2 (repr. col.)Hubbard 1963
Hubbard, R.H. The Development of Canadian Art. Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 1963, pp. 91, pl. 155 (repr.)Davies 1967
Davies, Blodwen. Tom Thomson: The Story of a Man Who Looked for Beauty and for Truth in the
Wilderness. Vancouver: Mitchell Press Limited, 1967, page facing 9 (repr.col.)Addison 1969
Addison, Ottelyn, Elizabeth Harwood. Tom Thomson, The Algonquin Years. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1969, pp. 40, 43, 50, 79 (repr.)Little 1970
Little, William T. The Tom Thomson Mystery. Toronto: McGraw-Hill, 1970, p. 34.Reid 1970
Reid, Dennis. The Group of Seven. Ottawa: The National Gallery of Canada, 1970. Exhibition catalogue, p. 99 (repr.)Murray 1971
Murray, Joan. The Art of Tom Thomson. Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1971. Exhibition catalogue, pp. 41, 80 (repr.)Ostiguy 1971
Ostiguy, Jean-René. Un siècle de peinture canadienne, 1870-1970. Quebec: Les Presses de l'Université Laval, 1971, pp. 31, fig. 56 (repr.)Town & Silcox 1977
Town, Harold, and David P. Silcox. Tom Thomson: The Silence and the Storm. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1977, pp. 28–29, 70, 71 (repr. col.)Town 1977a
Town, Harold. "Tom's Work." Toronto Life (September 1977), p. 178.Boulet 1982
Boulet, Roger. The Canadian Earth: Landscape Paintings by the Group of Seven. Toronto: Prentice-Hall, 1982, pp. 204–205 (repr. col.)Burnett 1990
Burnett, David. Masterpieces of Canadian Art from the National Gallery of Canada. Edmonton, AB: Hurtig, 1990, pp. 84, 85 (repr.)Murray 1994b
Murray, Joan. Northern Lights: Masterpieces of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven. Toronto: Key Porter Books Limited, 1994, p. 59 (repr. col.)Newlands 1995
Newlands, Anne. The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson: An Introduction. Willowdale, ON: Buffalo, New York, 1995, pp. 26–27 (repr. col.)Davis 1998a
Davis, Ann. Thomson, Thomas John (Tom). Vol. 14 1911-1920, Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998, p. 998.Reid and Hill 2002
Reid, Dennis and Charles C. Hill. Tom Thomson. Vancouver/Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre with the Art Gallery of Ontario and the National Gallery of Canada, 2002. Exhibition catalogue, pp. 135–137, 235 (repr. col.), 316.Silcox 2003
Silcox, David P. The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson. Toronto: Firefly Books, 2003, pp. 212, 238 (repr. col.)Lehto 2006
Lehto, Neil J. Algonquin Elegy. New York, Lincoln, Shanghai: iUniverse, 2006, cover (repr. col.)King 2010
King, Ross. Defiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven. Vancouver/Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 2011, pp. 190, 201.Dejardin 2011
Dejardin, Ian. Painting Canada: Tom Thomson and The Group of Seven. London: Dulwich Picture Gallery, 2011. Exhibition catalogue, pp. 14, 15, 71 (repr. col.)Murray 2011
Murray, Joan. A Treasury of Tom Thomson. Vancouver, Toronto, Berkeley: Douglas & McIntyre, 2011, pp. 7 (detail), 90–91, (repr. col.)Remarks
Dr. J.M. MacCallum, 11 June 1939, Dr. James M. MacCallum Papers, Library and Archives, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, writes that the title Spring Ice does not give the idea of the picture - “It is not spring ice at all - it is the opening of the waters.”
Record last updated March 2, 2016. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Murray, Joan. ""Spring Ice, Winter 1915–16 (1915-1916.02)." In Tom Thomson Catalogue Raisonné. www.tomthomsoncatalogue.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=413 (accessed on April 26, 2024).