Steve Martin Curates New Lawren Harris Exhibit

Even though there is plenty of common ground between the United States and Canada, it is too often that our friendly neighbor to the north is left out of the conversation about continental art. For example, if one were to ask, “Who are some early 20th century painters who truly captured the North American landscape?” your first guesses would almost surely not include Lawren Harris.

The new exhibit at the Hammer Museum, aptly titled “The Idea of North,” addresses that discrepancy. Sampling the landscape paintings of Harris, the scenes of snow-capped peaks and pine-pointed valleys are a reminder of just how particular and distinct the land of Canada truly is. They also bring to the foreground an artist who has been, up to this point in America, at best a footnote.

The exhibit, which will certainly introduce an artist to a number of museumgoers, also serves as a debut for its curator – ever-evolving multi-hyphenate Steve Martin. Yes, that Steve Martin.

A longtime personal collector of American modern art, and personal owner of a number of Harris paintings, Martin has joined the Hammer as a guest curator for “The Idea of North.” It is his latest in a growing list of off-screen roles that has in just the last decade included bluegrass musician and novelist.

In addition, while the novelty of Martin’s role in the exhibition is delightful, it does not at all detract from the striking, singular beauty of Lawren Harris’ work. The paintings selected indicate a master’s hand with recognizably modernist brushstrokes but uniquely evocative landscapes. The docile Great Lakes and layered mountainsides are rendered in chilling gem tones; you can feel cold just by looking at them.

Like Martin, to simply thrive in one field was not enough for Harris. The artist came from a formidable family fortune, and he used his money to finance a studio space in Toronto for the famous Canadian collective, Group of Seven. He helped fund boxcar trips to the forest for young artists to experience nature. He surely saw the service of art as larger than its place on gallery walls, and that it could inspire a deeper relationship with the world.

“The Idea of North” can only provide a snapshot of a much longer career from a largely under-known artist. However, the introduction is a striking one. Visitors to the Hammer will leave with a better idea the North, and a better understanding of both its landscape and its artists.

The Idea of North: The Paintings of Lawren Harris will be on display at the Hammer Museum Oct. 11, 2015 – Jan. 24, 2016.