Unexpected
The Life and Art of Sophie Pemberton, Canadian Artist
September 23, 2023 - January 21, 2024 Curated by Guest Curator Dr. Kathryn BridgeVictoria-born and raised, Sophie Pemberton was the middle daughter, her father’s favourite, and a determined personality. Despite episodes of debilitating illnesses and family tragedies, she pursued a serious international artistic career with paintings exhibited at the Royal Academy and Paris Salon. A portraitist by training, she was also a landscape painter of great talent. Through her international connections and friendships forged at art school in England and France with the advantages of birth and position, Pemberton aimed to become a professional artist, a career not readily accomplished by a woman at this time in history.
This exhibition discusses Pemberton’s life, her family and social networks, her art training and accomplishments, and the historical times in which she lived. It includes women’s suffrage, the rise of modernism, the role of post impressionism in Canada and within Sophie’s own world, and of the influence she brings to today’s world.
This exhibition is presented by:
This exhibition is supported by:
The AGGV Gallery Associates