COPYRIGHT & CREDITS

Acknowledgements

From the Art Canada Institute
The Art Canada Institute gratefully acknowledges the generosity of the sponsors of this book:

Presenting Sponsor
Power Corporation of Canada

Lead Sponsor
The Alan and Patricia Koval Foundation

Title Sponsors
Michelle Koerner
The Jack Weinbaum Family Foundation
Susan Wortzman

We thank the Founding Sponsor of the Art Canada Institute: BMO Financial Group.

Finally, we acknowledge the generosity of all those who support the Art Canada Institute and make our work possible.

From the Author

It has been both a delight and a challenge to untangle my professional commitment to illuminating Betty Goodwin’s place in Canadian art history from my friendship with her over the years we lived on the same street in Montreal (1987–95). Beginning in 1979, I worked with her on several projects and curated two major exhibitions of her art (in 1995 and 1998). The unrelenting darkness of Goodwin’s vision, how she steadfastly made a career drawing on personal experience yet rarely revealing biographical details, has been remarked upon by many; only a privileged few were familiar with the lightness of her laughter, her marvel at the smallest things, her curiosity and precision, and her capacity for love and trust.

Principal among those who have contributed to creating this book are Roger Bellemare and René Blouin, who generously shared their experiences of working with Betty Goodwin; gratitude is also due to Gaétan Charbonneau and Sheila Segal, for their recollections, and to Salah Bachir, who shared his personal experience of empathy as he built a significant collection of Goodwin’s work. The chronology assembled by Anne-Marie Ninacs for The Art of Betty Goodwin (1998) when she was an intern at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and the similarly comprehensive bibliography she completed for Rosemarie Tovell’s catalogue raisonné of Goodwin’s prints (National Gallery of Canada, 2002) have been invaluable to me, as they will be to others interested in further research.

I am indebted to several colleagues who made exhibitions and wrote lucidly on Goodwin’s work, including Chantal Pontbriand and France Morin, early champions of her art; curators Yolande Racine, formerly of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and Josée Bélisle, formerly of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, for advancing understanding of her art through their collecting, exhibitions, and curatorial writing; Anne Maheux and Richard Gagné, conservation specialists who analyzed and appreciated Goodwin’s singular techniques and unconventional materials at the National Gallery of Canada and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; and Matthew Teitelbaum, for his retrospective study of Goodwin’s early work.

Sincere thanks are due to Marilyn Nazar at the AGO’s Edward P. Taylor Library and Archives, who was accommodating on a COVID-restricted schedule, and to editor Sarmishta Subramanian, whose respectful and insightful guidance assisted me in fitting my writing into an unfamiliar format. I am especially grateful for the encouragement that friends and professional colleagues Marnie Fleming and Sarah Milroy gave me during this endeavour, which began haltingly as the pandemic arrived in 2020.

Not least of all, recognition is due to my husband and best critic, Geoffrey James, for his forbearance while I wrestled with the text. Finally, I thank Sara Angel for her faith in my contribution to the ACI series, and the entire ACI team, especially Emma Doubt, Tara Ng, and Olivia Mikalajunas, for their many roles in assembling this project.

This book is dedicated to Jeanne Parkin, an irrepressible advocate of Canadian contemporary art for over seventy-five years.

IMAGE SOURCES

Every effort has been made to secure permissions for all copyrighted material. The Art Canada Institute will gladly correct any errors or omissions.

The Art Canada Institute would like to thank the following for their assistance: Art Gallery of Hamilton (Andrea Howard); Art Gallery of Ontario (Alexandra Cousins); Atelier Photosynthèse (Jade Morin); Beaverbrook Art Gallery (Dawn Steeves); Canada Council Art Bank (Martha Young); Centre international d’art contemporain de Montréal (Claude Gosselin); Cowley Abbott Fine Art (Julia De Kwant); Galeries Roger Bellemare et Christian Lambert (Christian Lambert); Heffel Fine Art Auction House (Jasmin Daigle and Molly Tonken); Jack Shainman Gallery (Brandon Foushée); Library and Archives Canada (Margaret Couper, Cédric Lafontaine, and Rachel Neilson); McMichael Canadian Art Collection (Hanna Broker); Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Marie-Claude Saia); Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (Florence Morissette); Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (Julie Bouffard and Nathalie Thibault); National Gallery of Canada (Laurence Breault); New Museum (Julia Lee); Stephen Bulger Gallery (Owen Zilles and Robyn Zolnai); Vancouver Art Gallery (Danielle Currie); Salah Bachir and Jacob Yerex; Gaétan Charbonneau; Christopher Dew; Robert Etcheverry; Paul-André Fortier; Ying Gao; Yves Gaucher Estate; Dr. Sherrill Grace; Peter Lanken; Paul-Marie Lapointe; Jeanne Parkin; Sheila Segal; Andrea Szilasi; Richard-Max Tremblay; and Doug Watters.

The ACI recognizes the additional private collectors who have given permission for their works to be published in this edition.

Credit for Cover Image

Betty Goodwin, *Untitled*, from the series Swimmers, 1982. (See below for details.)

Credits for Banner Images

Biography: Betty Goodwin posing with her artwork *Triptych*, 1986, at her Saint-Laurent Boulevard studio, Montreal, 1986. (See below for details.)

Key Works: Betty Goodwin, *Vest One*, August 1969. (See below for details.)

Significance & Critical Issues: Betty Goodwin, *Tarpaulin No. 2*, 1974–75. (See below for details.)

Style & Technique: Betty Goodwin, *Untitled (Bed)*, 1976. (See below for details.)

Sources & Resources: Geoffrey James, *Untitled*, from the series Betty Goodwin’s Studio, 1994. (See below for details.)

Where to See: Installation view of *Betty Goodwin : Un aperçu de l’œuvre à travers la Collection* at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, February 14–April 27, 2003. (See below for details.)

Copyright & Credits: Betty Goodwin, *Falling Figure*, 1965. (See below for details.)

Credits for Works by Betty Goodwin

*Bestially Contrived Walls*, from the series Steel Notes, 1988–89. Collection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Gift of Ms. Marielle Lalonde Mailhot and Mr. Paul Mailhot (D 11 72 S 1). Courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: MACM, Richard-Max Tremblay.

*Beyond Chaos #1*, 1998. Collection of Salah Bachir and Jacob Yerex. Installation shot from *The Subtle Body: Betty Goodwin and David Altmejd* *from the Collection of Salah Bachir and Jacob Yerex*, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario, February 17–May 15, 2024. Courtesy of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. © Betty Goodwin Estate.

*Beyond Chaos, No. 7*, 1998. Collection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Purchase (A 98 101 D 1). Courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Richard-Max Tremblay.

*Carbon*, 1986. Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Purchase, Horsley and Annie Townsend Bequest (1987.13a-h). Courtesy of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: MMFA.

*Carbon*, 1986, installation view at Galerie René Blouin, Montreal, September 27–November 1, 1986. Photographer unknown. Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Purchase, Horsley and Annie Townsend Bequest (1987.13a-h). Courtesy of the Betty Goodwin Estate. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Atelier Photosynthèse, Montreal.

*Distorted Events*, 1995. Collection of Salah Bachir and Jacob Yerex. Installation shot from *The Subtle Body: Betty Goodwin and David Altmejd from the Collection of Salah Bachir and Jacob Yerex*, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario, February 17–May 15, 2024. Courtesy of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: McMichael Canadian Art Collection.

*Distorted Events, No. 2*, 1989–90. Collection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Gift of Mr. Martin Goodwin (D 92 1357 MD 1). Courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Richard-Max Tremblay.

*Do you know how long it takes for any voice to reach another*, 1985–96. Collection of Salah Bachir and Jacob Yerex. Courtesy of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Toni Hafkenscheid.

*Falling Figure*, 1965. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Betty and Martin Goodwin, 1999 (99/704). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Figure/Animal Series #1*, 1990–91. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Michael and Sonja Koerner, 2006 (2006/175). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Figure Lying on a Bench*, 1987. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Purchase with the support of the Volunteer Committee in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, 1996 (96/89). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Figure with Chair, No. 1*, 1988. Collection of Salah Bachir and Jacob Yerex. Courtesy of Salah Bachir and Jacob Yerex. © Betty Goodwin Estate.

*Four Columns to Support a Room (projet de la Clark)*, 1977–80. Collection of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Quebec City, Gift of the Mailhot Family (2017.10). Courtesy of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: MNBAQ, Idra Labrie.

*Gloves One*, 1970. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Gift of Betty and Martin Goodwin, Montreal, 1999 (40286). Courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: NGC.

*Il y a certainement quelqu’un qui m’a tuée* (*Someone certainly killed me*) [or *Je suis certaine que quelqu’un m’a tuée* (*I’m sure someone killed me*)], 1985. Collection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Purchase, Lavalin Collection (A 92 482 D 1). Courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Richard-Max Tremblay.

*In Berlin: A Triptych, the Beginning of the Fourth Part*, 1982–83. Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Purchase, Saidye and Samuel Bronfman Collection of Canadian Art and Canada Council Grant (1983.18f h). Courtesy of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: MMFA.

*It Is Forbidden to Print*, from the series Steel Notes, 1988–89. Collection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Gift of Mr. Paul Mailhot (D 11 71 S 1). Courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Richard-Max Tremblay.

*Komme, Komme, Komme*, from the series Steel Notes, 1988–89. Collection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Gift of Ms. Marielle Lalonde Mailhot (D 11 70 S 1). Courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: MACM, Richard-Max Tremblay.

*La Mémoire du corps* (*The Memory of the Body*), 1992. Collection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Gift of Mr. René Blouin in memory of Ronald Noël (D 02 74 D 1). Courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Richard-Max Tremblay.

*Losing Energy*, 1994–95. © Betty Goodwin Estate.

*The Mentana Street Project* (detail), 1979. Courtesy of Gabor Szilasi. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Gabor Szilasi.

*The Mentana Street Project* (detail), 1979. Betty Goodwin Fonds, Edward P. Taylor Library and Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of the Estate of Betty Goodwin, 2012 (LA.SC124.S5). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. Artwork © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO, Gabor Szilasi.

*The Mourners*, 1955. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Betty and Martin Goodwin, 1999 (99/678). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Moving Towards Fire* (detail), 1985. CIAC Fonds, Collection documentaire de la Médiathèque of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. Courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Denis Farley.

*Moving Towards Fire*, 1983. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Purchase, 1985 (85/296). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo Credit: AGO.

*Nerves No. 10*, 1993. Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Gift of Mr. Pierre Bourgie in honour of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ 150th anniversary (2010.59). Courtesy of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: MMFA, Christine Guest.

*Nest with Hanging Grass (Nest Six)*, 1973. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Martin and Betty Goodwin in memory of Clare Roodish and Paul Goodwin, with the support of the Volunteer Committee in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, 1996 (96/239). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo Credit: AGO.

*Note One*, 1973. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Gift of Betty and Martin Goodwin, Montreal, 1999 (40327). Courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: NGC.

Page 1 of Sketchbook/Notebook 116, March 14, 1998. Betty Goodwin Fonds, Edward P. Taylor Library and Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of the Estate of Betty Goodwin, 2012. Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

Page 12 of Sketchbook/Notebook 62, February 1972–June 1976. Betty Goodwin Fonds, Edward P. Taylor Library and Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of the Estate of Betty Goodwin, 2012. Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

Page 27 of Sketchbook/Notebook 97, May 7, 1986. Betty Goodwin Fonds, Edward P. Taylor Library and Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of the Estate of Betty Goodwin, 2012 (LA.SC124.S1.97.27). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

Page from Sketchbook/Notebook 101, January 20, 1989. Betty Goodwin Fonds, Edward P. Taylor Library and Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of the Estate of Betty Goodwin, 2012. Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

Page from Sketchbook/Notebook 107, 1991. Betty Goodwin Fonds, Edward P. Taylor Library and Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of the Estate of Betty Goodwin, 2012. Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Parcel Seven*, c.October 1969. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Purchased 1999 (40120). Courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: NGC.

*Parcel/Vest*, 1972. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Martin and Betty Goodwin in memory of Clare Roodish and Paul Goodwin, with the support of the Volunteer Committee in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, 1996 (96/223). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo Credit: AGO.

*Passage in a Red Field* (detail), 1980, installation view at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, July 5–September 7, 1980. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives, Ottawa. © Betty Goodwin Estate, Brian Merrett Estate. Photo credit: Brian Merrett.

*Passing Through*, from the series Nerves, 1994. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Jessica Bradley, 2002 (2002/9446). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Porteur* (*Bearer*), 1986–87. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Purchase with the support of the Volunteer Committee in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, 1996 (96/88). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo Credit: AGO.

*Porteur IV* (*Bearer IV*), 1985–86. Courtesy of Galeries Roger Bellemare et Christian Lambert, Montreal. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Galeries Roger Bellemare et Christian Lambert, Guy L’Heureux.

*Portrait*, 1949. Collection of Dr. Sherrill Grace, Vancouver. Courtesy of Heffel Fine Art Auction House, Calgary. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Heffel Fine Art Auction House.

*River Bed*, 1977. Collection of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Quebec City, Gift of the Mailhot Family (2017.283). © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: MNBAQ, Idra Labrie.

*River Piece*, 1978. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Betty Goodwin.

*Riverbed*, c.1977–80. Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Gift of Ronald Black (Dr.1984.210). Courtesy of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: MMFA, Brian Merrett.

*Sargasso Sea*, 1992. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Gift of Martin Goodwin, Montreal, 1993 (37176). Courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: NGC.

*Self-Portrait*, c.1955. Collection of Salah Bachir and Jacob Yerex. Installation shot from *The Subtle Body: Betty Goodwin and David Altmejd from the Collection of Salah Bachir and Jacob Yerex*, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario, February 17–May 15, 2024. Courtesy of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. © Betty Goodwin Estate.

*Shirt IV*, 1971. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Martin and Betty Goodwin in memory of Clare Roodish and Paul Goodwin, with the support of the Volunteer Committee in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, 1996 (96/220). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

Sketch of a woman from Sketchbook/Notebook 20, c.1947–50(?). Betty Goodwin Fonds, Edward P. Taylor Library and Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of the Estate of Betty Goodwin, 2012. Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*So Certain I Was, I Was a Horse*, 1984–85. Collection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Purchase (A 85 27 D 3). Courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: MACM, Richard-Max Tremblay.

*Spine*, 1994. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Gift of Betty and Martin Goodwin, Montreal, 2006 (42029). Courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: NGC.

*Steel Note (Everything is already counted)*, from the series Steel Notes, 1988. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Alison and Alan Schwartz, 1999 (99/602). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Steel Notes*, from the series Steel Notes, 1988–89. © Betty Goodwin Estate.

*Swimmer No. 3*, 1983. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Purchased 1983 (28270). Courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: NGC.

*Swimmers*, 1983. Collection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Lavalin Collection, Purchase (A 92 483 D 1). Courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: MACM.

*Swimmers*, 1984. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of the Frum Family, 2019 (2019/2313). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Tarpaulin No. 2*, 1974–75. Collection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Purchase (A 76 38 P 1). Courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: MACM, Richard-Max Tremblay.

*Tarpaulin No. 3*, 1975. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Purchased 1976 (18532). Courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: NGC.

*Tarpaulin #4*, 1975. Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Women’s Auxiliary Gallery Shop Funds (VAG 76.10). Photo credit: Vancouver Art Gallery.

*Tarpaulin #10 (Passage for a Tall Man)*, 1974–91. © Betty Goodwin Estate.

*Tombeau de René Crevel* (*Tomb of René Crevel*) (cover), 1979, by Betty Goodwin and Paul-Marie Lapointe. Collection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Purchase 1981 (A 81 11 E 7). Courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. © Betty Goodwin Estate and Paul-Marie Lapointe Estate. Photo credit: MACM.

*Triptych*, 1990–91, by Betty Goodwin and Peter Lanken (architect). This work was created in accordance with the Government of Quebec’s policy on the integration of art and architecture, in collaboration with architect Peter Lanken. Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (69.1-3.1-2). © Betty Goodwin Estate and Peter Lanken. Photo credit: MMFA, Brian Merrett.

*Two Hooded Figures with Chair, No. 2*, 1988. © Betty Goodwin Estate.

*Two Vests*, 1972. Collection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Purchase (A 73 3 G 1). Courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: MACM.

*Unceasingly*, 2004–5. Collection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Anonymous gift (D 06 37 TM 1). Courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: MACM.

*Untitled (Bed)*, 1976. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Purchase with the support of the Volunteer Committee in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, 1996 (96/85). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Untitled (In Berlin, A Triptych: The Beginning of the Fourth Part)*, 1981. Courtesy of Galeries Roger Bellemare et Christian Lambert, Montreal. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Galeries Roger Bellemare et Christian Lambert.

*Untitled (La mémoire du corps)* (*The Memory of the Body*), 1993. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Purchase with the support of the Volunteer Committee in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, 1996 (96/97). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Untitled (la mémoire du corps)* (*The Memory of the Body*), 1995. McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario, Gift from the Collection of Salah Bachir and Jacob Yerex (2023.18.8). © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Toni Hafkenscheid.

*Untitled (Mentana Street Project)*, 1977–80. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Martin and Betty Goodwin in memory of Clare Roodish and Paul Goodwin, with the support of the Volunteer Committee in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, 1996 (96/259). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Untitled (Moving Towards Fire)*, 1985. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Martin and Betty Goodwin in memory of Clare Roodish and Paul Goodwin, with the support of the Volunteer Committee in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, 1996 (96/290). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Untitled (Nerves, No. 1)*, 1993. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Alison and Alan Schwartz, 1997 (97/1590). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Untitled (Nerves), No. 5*, 1993. Collection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Purchase (A 93 52 D 1). Courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: MACM, Richard-Max Tremblay.

*Untitled (Notes toward to draw)*, 1974. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Martin and Betty Goodwin in memory of Clare Roodish and Paul Goodwin, with the support of the Volunteer Committee in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, 1996 (96/252). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Untitled (To Draw)*, 1973. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Martin and Betty Goodwin in memory of Clare Roodish and Paul Goodwin, with the support of the Volunteer Committee in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, 1996 (96/235). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Untitled (Two figures/divers)*, 1984. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Martin and Betty Goodwin in memory of Clare Roodish and Paul Goodwin, with the support of the Volunteer Committee in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, 1996 (96/291). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Untitled*, from the series Swimmers, 1982. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Martin and Betty Goodwin in memory of Clare Roodish and Paul Goodwin, with the support of the Volunteer Committee in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, 1996 (96/285). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Untitled No. 1*, from the series Swimmers, 1982. Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Purchase, Saidye and Samuel Bronfman, Collection of Canadian Art and Canada Council Grant (1983.18a). Courtesy of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo Credit: MMFA.

*Untitled No. 2*, from the series Swimmers, 1982. Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Purchase, Saidye and Samuel Bronfman, Collection of Canadian Art and Canada Council Grant (1983.18b). Courtesy of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: MMFA.

*Untitled #3*, 1975. Collection of the Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa (75/6-0783). Courtesy of the Canada Council Art Bank. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Canada Council Art Bank.

*Vest*, April 1972. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Gift of Janet Adaskin, Gibsons, British Columbia, 2004 (41626). Courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: NGC.

*La veste disparue* (*The Missing Vest*), 1972. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Martin and Betty Goodwin in memory of Clare Roodish and Paul Goodwin, with the support of the Volunteer Committee in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, 1996 (96/226). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo Credit: AGO.

*Vest Earth*, 1974. Collection of Gaétan Charbonneau/Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Richard-Max Tremblay.

*Vest for Beuys*, 1972. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Martin and Betty Goodwin in memory of Clare Roodish and Paul Goodwin, with the support of the Volunteer Committee in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, 1996 (96/222). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Vest One*, August 1969. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Gift of Betty and Martin Goodwin, Montreal, 1999 (40300). Courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: NGC.

*View from my back window*, 1947. Private collection, Quebec. Courtesy of Canadian Fine Arts, Toronto. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Canadian Fine Arts.

*Waiting*, 1950. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Betty and Martin Goodwin, 1999 (99/677). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Wires of Investigation*, 1992. Collection of Jeanne Parkin, Toronto. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Christopher Dew.

*Without Cease the Earth Faintly Trembles*, 1988. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Alison and Alan Schwartz, 1997 (97/1589). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

*Without Cease the Earth Faintly Trembles*, 1988. Collection of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, Gift of Dr. Donald and Mrs. Shirley Steele. Courtesy of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Beaverbrook Art Gallery.

*Woman with cat nº 2*, c.1962. Collection of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Quebec City, Anonymous donation (1993.159). Courtesy of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: MNBAQ, Louis Audet.

Credits for Photographs and Works by Other Artists

ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) demonstration, Vancouver, 1990. Photographer unknown. Fonds AM1675 – BC Gay and Lesbian Archives, City of Vancouver Archives (AM1675-S4-F19-: 2018-020.4041). Courtesy of the City of Vancouver Archives.

Betty Goodwin, Martin Goodwin, and Sam Tata at the opening of Goodwin’s exhibition at Galerie 1640, Montreal, March 1970. Photograph by Gabor Szilasi. Courtesy of Gabor Szilasi. © Gabor Szilasi.

Betty Goodwin and her gallerist René Blouin in Venice, 1995. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of René Blouin.

Betty Goodwin at work, 1985. Photograph by Brian Merrett. Betty Goodwin Fonds, Edward P. Taylor Library and Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of the Estate of Betty Goodwin, 2012 (Series 6, Box 20). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

Betty Goodwin at work, 1980s. Photographer unknown. Betty Goodwin Fonds, Edward P. Taylor Library and Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of the Estate of Betty Goodwin, 2012 (Series 6, Box 20). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

Betty Goodwin in her Saint-Laurent Boulevard studio, Montreal, c.1980s. Photograph by Charlotte Rosshandler. Betty Goodwin Fonds, Edward P. Taylor Library and Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of the Estate of Betty Goodwin, 2012 (Series 6, Box 20). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

Betty Goodwin in her studio, Montreal, 1980s. Photographer unknown. Betty Goodwin Fonds, Edward P. Taylor Library and Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of the Estate of Betty Goodwin, 2012 (Series 6, Box 20). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

Betty Goodwin inking a plate, Sainte-Adèle, Quebec, February 1970. Photograph by Gabor Szilasi. Gabor Szilasi Fonds, Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (1. Vol 5, file 5-3, Item 588). Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada. © Gabor Szilasi.

Betty Goodwin in Venice, 1995. Photograph by Sheila Segal. Courtesy of Sheila Segal. © Sheila Segal.

Betty Goodwin on her father’s knee, 1920s. Photographer unknown. Betty Goodwin Fonds, Edward P. Taylor Library and Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of the Estate of Betty Goodwin, 2012 (Series 6, Box 20). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

Betty Goodwin posing with her work *Triptych*, 1986, at her Saint-Laurent Boulevard studio, Montreal, 1986. Photograph by Charlotte Rosshandler. Betty Goodwin Fonds, Edward P. Taylor Library and Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (Series 6, Box 20). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Charlotte Rosshandler. Photo credit: AGO.

Betty Goodwin’s Saint-Laurent Boulevard studio with a tarpaulin being prepared on the floor, Montreal, 1975. Photograph by Betty Goodwin. © Betty Goodwin Estate.

Betty Goodwin with her assistant Marcel Lemyre and her gallerist Roger Bellemare, 1989. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of Galeries Roger Bellemare et Christian Lambert, Montreal.

Betty Goodwin with her assistant Scott McMorran and Jessica Bradley in the doorway of Goodwin’s Avenue Coloniale studio, Montreal, c.1998. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of Jessica Bradley.

Betty Goodwin with her mother, Clare Roodish, date unknown. Photographer unknown. Visual Resources Collection, National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives, Ottawa. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives.

*The Bomb*, 1968, by Nancy Spero. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Gift of the artist, New York, 1994 (37357). Courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada. © The Nancy Spero and Leon Golub Foundation for the Arts / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY / CARCC Ottawa 2024. Photo credit: NGC.

*Booster*, from the series Booster and Seven Studies, 1967, by Robert Rauschenberg. Various collections. © Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.

Cover of *Betty Goodwin: Steel Notes*, by the National Gallery of Canada, France Morin, and Sanford Kwinter (Ottawa: The Gallery, 1989). Photo credit: NGC.

Cover of *The Art of Betty Goodwin*, edited by Jessica Bradley and Matthew Teitelbaum (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1998).

Cover of *Canadian Art* 15, no. 3 (Fall 1998), featuring a detail of Betty Goodwin’s *Moving Towards Fire*, 1983. Photo credit: *Canadian Art*.

Cover of *If This Is a Man* and The Truce, by Primo Levi, translated by Stuart Woolf (London: Abacus, 1986). Courtesy of goodreads.com.

Cover of *Molloy*, by Samuel Beckett (Paris: Olympia Press, 1955). Courtesy of biblio.com.

Cover of the exhibition catalogue *Betty Goodwin*, by the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec (Montréal: Musée d’art contemporain, Montréal, 1976). Courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. Photo credit: MACM.

Exhibition invitation (recto) featuring Goodwin’s installation *An Altered Point of View*, 1979, in progress for the group exhibition *Special Projects (Spring 1979)* at P.S.1 (now MoMA PS1), Queens, New York, April 22–June 10, 1979. Betty Goodwin Fonds, Edward P. Taylor Library and Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of the Estate of Betty Goodwin, 2012 (Series 9, Box 20). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: AGO.

Exhibition poster for *Aurora Borealis*, held in a shopping complex on Park Avenue in Montreal, June 1–September 15, 1985. Courtesy of the Centre international d’art contemporain de Montréal.

*Fat Chair (Stuhl mit Fett)*, 1963, by Joseph Beuys. Collection of Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Germany. Courtesy of the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt. © Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2024, and Estate of Joseph Beuys / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo credit: Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt.

*Fold upon Fold (Pli selon pli)*, 1964, by Yves Gaucher. Collection of Doug Watters. Courtesy of Cowley Abbott, Toronto. © Yves Gaucher Estate. Photo credit: Cowley Abbott.

Hanging textile made by Betty Goodwin’s mother, Clare Roodish, date unknown. Photographer unknown.

Installation view of *Betty Goodwin: New Work* at the New Museum, New York, September 11–November 8, 1987. Courtesy of the New Museum, New York. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Fred Scruton.

Installation view of *Betty Goodwin: Pieces of Time: 1963–1998* at Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, 1998. Courtesy of Jack Shainman Gallery. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: Jack Shainman Gallery.

Installation view of Betty Goodwin’s *Carbon*, 1986, opposite Nick Cave’s *Soundsuit*, 2014, and Ying Gao’s *Incertitudes 1 and 2*, 2013, in *“How long does it take for one voice to reach another?”* at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, September 11, 2021–February 13, 2022. Courtesy of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. © Betty Goodwin Estate; Nick Cave / Stephen Bulger Gallery, Toronto; and Ying Gao. Photo credit: MMFA.

Installation view of *Pulse of a Room*, 1995, in the exhibition *Signs of Life* at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, February 23–May 12, 1996. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives, Ottawa. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives. © Betty Goodwin Estate. Photo credit: NGC.

Interior of Galerie B with a vest print by Betty Goodwin hanging in the window, Montreal, 1972. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of Galeries Roger Bellemare et Christian Lambert, Montreal.

*Interrogation III*, 1981, by Leon Golub. Collection of The Broad Art Foundation, Los Angeles (F-GOLU-1P94.03). © The Nancy Spero and Leon Golub Foundation for the Arts / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY / CARCC Ottawa 2024.

*Joseph Beuys, 100 Frontal Views* (detail), 1980, by Arnaud Maggs. Courtesy of Stephen Bulger Gallery, Toronto. © Arnaud Maggs Estate / Stephen Bulger Gallery.

*Life, Death, Love, Hate, Pleasure, Pain*, 1983, by Bruce Nauman. Collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Gerald S. Elliott Collection (1995.74). Courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. © Bruce Nauman. Photo credit: MCA Chicago, Nathan Keay.

*Oracle over Babylon (Oracle sur Babylone)*, from the series Bible (La Bible), 1931–39, by Marc Chagall. Courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries, New York. © Marc Chagall Estate. Photo credit: Swann Auction Galleries.

Paul-Émile Borduas, 1946. Photograph by Ronny Jaques. Collection of Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (R3133-662-8-E). Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada.

Simon Courchel performing Paul-André Fortier’s piece *Bras de plomb*, 1993, wearing a pair of lead arms created by Betty Goodwin, at the Agora de la danse, Montreal, 2011. Photograph by Robert Etcheverry. Courtesy of Robert Etcheverry. © Robert Etcheverry and Betty Goodwin Estate.

*The Space of the Lama*, 1966, by Joyce Wieland. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift of Betty June Ferguson, 2017 (2017/79). Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. © National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Photo credit: AGO.

*Sueño*, 1992, by Kiki Smith. Collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, Gift of Emily Fisher Landau. Courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art. © Kiki Smith. Photo credit: MoMA.

*Tondo 7*, 1980, by Françoise Sullivan. Collection of the Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa (81/2-0229). Courtesy of the Canada Council Art Bank. © Françoise Sullivan / CARCC Ottawa 2024. Photo credit: Centre of documentation Yvan Boulerice.

Truck tarpaulin, 1974. Photograph by Betty Goodwin. © Betty Goodwin Estate.

*Tumulte à la mâchoire crispée* (*Tumult with Clenched Teeth*), 1946, by Marcel Barbeau. Collection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Gift of Ms. Gisèle and Mr. Gérard Lortie (D 68 48 P 1). Courtesy of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. © Marcel Barbeau Estate. Photo credit: MACM.

*Untitled*, 1946, by Ghitta Caiserman. Collection of Gaétan Charbonneau. Courtesy of Gaétan Charbonneau. © Ghitta Caiserman Estate. Photo credit: Gaétan Charbonneau.

*Untitled*, from the series Betty Goodwin’s Studio, 1994, by Geoffrey James. Courtesy of Galeries Roger Bellemare et Christian Lambert. © Geoffrey James.

BOOK CREDITS

Publisher
Sara Angel

Director of Programming
Emma Doubt

Executive Editor
Tara Ng

French Editorial Director

Annie Champagne

Graphic Designer
Shane Krepakevich

Editor
Sarmishta Subramanian

Copy Editor

Laura Edlund

Proofreader
Jack Stanley

Translator
Christine Poulin

French Copy Editor

Ginette Jubinville

French Proofreader

Lynn Bannon

Image Research Associate

Olivia Mikalajunas

Design Template

Studio Blackwell

Art Canada Institute

Massey College, University of Toronto

4 Devonshire Place

Toronto, ON M5S 2E1

Title: Betty Goodwin : life & work / by Jessica Bradley.

Names: Bradley, Jessica, author. | Goodwin, Betty, 1923-2008. Works. Selections. | Art Canada Institute, issuing body.

Description: Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: Canadiana 20240367545 | ISBN 9781487103439 (HTML) | ISBN 9781487103446 (PDF)

Subjects: LCSH: Goodwin, Betty, 1923-2008. | LCSH: Goodwin, Betty, 1923-2008—Criticism and interpretation. | LCSH: Artists—Canada—Biography. | LCGFT: Biographies.

Classification: LCC N6549.G66 B73 2024 | DDC 709/.2—dc23