In Spring 2008 Macdonald Stewart Art Centre featured a major retrospective exhibition that included over 100 landscapes, portraits, and watercolours by Guelph-born artist Evan Macdonald.
Flora Spencer, Evan Macdonald’s daughter, has announced the family is donating 31 works to the centre that span the period from 1948 to 1967 and are all depictions of Guelph and region.
The donation includes paintings of the Elora Mill, Guelph Sand and Gravel, and the College Greenhouse, as well as drawings and watercolour paintings documenting the demolition of the Guelph City Hall Tower and the Guelph Public Library and views of Guelph streets, bridges, and cemeteries.
A master draftsman, print-maker, book illustrator, and painter, Macdonald is renowned for his depictions of historic Guelph and Wellington County.
He took pride in documenting his community and his work celebrates industry while advocating for the preservation of history and culture.
“These works are the history of Guelph,” said director and curator Judith Nasby.
“They are a wonderful and important addition to the Art Centre’s collections and will be studied and enjoyed by many future generations. We are absolutely thrilled and honoured by the generosity of this donation from Flora Spencer.”
Born in 1905 to one of Guelph’s founding Scottish families, Macdonald came of age in the early 20th century.
He was a young contemporary of the Group of Seven and pursued his practice in Canada during the Great Depression. He joined the Second World War as an artist-soldier and after the war, became a professional portraitist.
In the 1950s and 1960s he documented the destruction of Guelph’s historical buildings.
In 1970, he received an honorary degree from the University of Guelph to acknowledge his artistic accomplishments and contributions to the community.
