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Alistair Bell

Alistair Bell

Art of the North

A giant among 20th-century Canadian printmakers, Alistair Macready Bell is revered for his moody, expressionistic yet recognisable renderings of boats, birds and animals.

Bell's initial career as a draftsman in a structural steel plant may account for his characteristic attention to line and internal rhythm. He was a gifted student of British Columbia's wild places and creatures, and he travelled the world to sketch exotic birds and animals. These studies became the basis for the more than 250 prints he made.

A Bell print is instantly distinguished for its angularity and bold tones as well as the innovative use of natural textures. His work has been exhibited internationally and is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in England and the National Gallery in Ottawa. A complete collection of his prints is housed in the permanent collection of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

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