Canadian artist Michael Snow (1928–2023) is one of the most inventive and original figures in contemporary art. Since the beginning of his artistic career in 1947, Snow has produced works spanning a wide range of media, including painting, sculpture, film, photography, installation, performance, music, and texts. Exhibitions and writings on his œuvre have mostly concentrated on his production following the inception of his signature Walking Woman series in 1961. Focusing exclusively on the first fifteen years of Snow’s career, this exhibition explores how this period of fervent experimentation is crucial to a more fulsome appreciation of the ever-inquisitive artist’s later works.
This online exhibition has been made possible through a partnership with the Art Gallery of Hamilton, which created the exhibition Early Snow: Michael Snow 1947–1962, on view from February 8, 2020 to January 3, 2021. Early Snow was curated by James King, FRSC, Professor at McMaster University and the author of six novels and twelve biographies of writers and artists, including Michael Snow: Lives and Works. King is also the author of the Art Canada Institute publication Bertram Brooker: Life & Work.