PAST EXHIBITION
EXPLORING THE MATERIAL HISTORY OF PAINTINGS: THE UNVARNISHED TRUTH
The Unvarnished Truth is an exhibition presenting discoveries made by an international team of nearly 30 researchers and scholars―conservators, curators, engineers, scientists, forensic art historians and more―who worked together to examine 9 historical paintings in McMaster’s collection, including works by Van Gogh, Jawlensky, and the workshop of Peter Paul Rubens. It includes a body of research, a touring exhibition, a publication, a website, and a series of public events.
The presentation at McMaster will also include, for comparison, a work by Edwaert Collier generously loaned to the exhibition by the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, Houston, Texas.
EVENTS
Thursday December 10
6 pm sharp: RESEARCHERS’ TOUR
Dr. Brandi Lee MacDonald and Nenagh Hathaway
7 – 8 pm: GUEST LECTURE
Dr. Melanie Gifford, Research Conservator (National Gallery of Art, Washington)
Reattribution of an early work by Willem van Aelst: The role of technical studies
PAST EVENTS
RECEPTION
Thursday, September 17, 2015, 6 – 8 pm
TALK/TOUR
Friday, September 25, 12:30 pm
Brandi Lee MacDonald
A Culture Days and Lifelong Learning Week event
LECTURE BY RESEARCHERS:
Thursday, October 1, 1:30 – 2:20 pm
Brandi Lee MacDonald (Research Associate, Dept of Applied Radiation Sciences, McMaster University)
Nenagh Hathaway (PhD Candidate, Art History, Queen’s University)
PANEL DISCUSSION:
Thursday, November 12, 6 – 8 pm
Moderator:
Fiona McNeill (Professor, Department of Medical Physics & Applied Radiation Sciences / Associate-VP Research, McMaster University)
Panelists:
Lloyd DeWitt (Curator of European Art, Art Gallery of Ontario)
Ihor Holubizky (Senior Curator, McMaster Museum of Art)
Brandi Lee MacDonald (Research Associate., Dept of Applied Radiation Sciences, McMaster University)
Alison Murray (Associate Professor, Art Conservation, Queen’s University)
Mike Noseworthy (Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering,McMaster University)
PRIMARY RESEARCH TEAM
Brandi Lee MacDonald (Research Associate, Dept of Applied Radiation Sciences, McMaster University)
Nenagh Hathaway (PhD Candidate, Art History, Queen’s University)
Fiona McNeill (Department of Medical Physics & Applied Radiation Sciences and Associate VP, Research, McMaster University)
Ihor Holubizky (Senior Curator, MMA)
Ron Spronk (Professor, Art History, Queen’s University and Radboud University, The Netherlands)
Gianfranco Pocobene (Head of Conservation, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston)
Alison Murray (Associate Professor, Art Conservation, Queen’s University)
Julie Bronson (Collections Administrator, MMA)
Carol Podedworny (Director/Chief Curator, MMA)
The Unvarnished Truth is organized and circulated by the McMaster Museum of Art with the generous support of the McMaster University Office of Research and the Museums Assistance Program, Canadian Heritage.
Image: Visible light and IRR details of oil painting from circle of Jan Gossart (called Mabuse) (Netherlandish, about 1478 – 1532), Portrait of a Man, c. 1520, Levy Bequest Purchase
Curated by: McMaster Museum of Art
September 05, 2015 – December 19, 2015
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
MORE PAST EXHIBITIONS
We Remain Certain
Arenhátyen tsi ní:tsi teyottenyonhátye’ kwató:ken tsi nī:tsi yonkwa’nikonhrayén:ta’s
Read More
FEATURED PUBLICATIONS
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The Clichettes: Lips, Wigs, and Politics
Published on the occasion of the exhibition The Clichettes: Lips, Wigs, and Politics held at the McMaster Museum of Art (M(M)A) in Hamilton, Ontario in 2024. With essays by Ivana Dizdar, Marni Jackson, John Greyson, Alexandra Schwartz, Mark Kingwell, rl Goldberg, Lillian Allen, and Wanda Nanibush. Bridging theatre, lip-sync, dance, drag, costume, and comedy, the […]
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self/same/other
Barbara Astman, Carl Beam, Meryl McMaster, Sorel Cohen, Joseph Beuys, Bidemi Oloyede, Christina Leslie, Jeff Thomas, Micah Lexier, László Moholy-Nagy This exhibition brings together artworks drawn from the M(M)A permanent collection that present diverse ways of exploring self-imaging and subjectivity through different types of photo-based media. Expanding the genres of portraiture and self-portraiture, selected works […]
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Coins in the McMaster Museum of Art: The Greek and Roman Collections
Ancient Greek and Roman coinage represents the intersection of politics, economics, and art; no other medium in the ancient world more closely reflects the decisions of administrations, the expectations of civic bodies, and detailed craftspersonship. Coins are among the most ubiquitous artifacts from Classical antiquity and despite their small size, are among the most instructive […]
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IMMUNE NATIONS
This catalogue documents a multi-year art-science project called Immune Nations, produced on the occasion of its exhibition at the McMaster Museum of Art in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Initiated in 2014 and co-led by Steven Hoffman (York University), Sean Caulfield (University of Alberta), and Natalie Loveless (University of Alberta), Immune Nations brought together scientists, policy experts, […]
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Peripheral Vision(s)
Peripheral Vision(s) includes scholarly essays by some of the most prominent Indigenous and non-Indigenous voices within the fields of Indigenous art history and art criticism today.
SUBMISSIONS & ASSISTANCE
SUBMISSIONS:
The McMaster Museum of Art is presently not accepting artists’ submissions for exhibitions at this time of leadership change at the museum. Our Interim Director will be undertaking a review of the museum’s forward exhibition schedule, as well as our policies and procedures, in the coming months. Our present focus is the ongoing maintenance of our permanent collection and storage needs for future collection activities.
The museum remains committed to our collecting priority in the continued support of early career, mid-career and established Indigenous artists, artists of the Black diaspora and racialized artists through purchases and commissions. Donations will be welcomed and reviewed at a future date which will be posted on our website.
ASSISTANCE:
The McMaster Museum of Art is a third party recommender for Ontario Arts Council (OAC) Exhibition Assistance Grants.
Please note that there has been a delay in the OAC opening the 2024-2025 program. This webpage will be updated with our deadlines as soon as possible.
Priorities:
Artists who demonstrate an interest and consideration of art as a medium for social change and action.
Please follow the guidelines established by the Ontario Arts Council, apply directly through their website, and submit the following with your applications:
Brief artist statement
Confirmation letter from the gallery/museum/venue
Budget
CV
Digital images of work
