Ray Cronin

Author

Ray Cronin is a writer, curator, and arts consultant living in Elmsdale, Nova Scotia. He worked at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia as curator (2001–07) and as director and CEO (2007–15). He is the founding curator of the Sobey Art Award.


Cronin is a graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (BA, fine arts) and the University of Windsor (MA, fine arts). He is the author of numerous catalogue essays and has published reviews and articles for several Canadian and American art magazines over a twenty-five-year career. In 2000 he received the Christina Sabat Award for Critical Review in the Arts. He was the visual arts columnist for the Daily Gleaner (Fredericton) and Here (Saint John) in New Brunswick and is the visual arts blogger for Halifax Magazine.


Cronin is the author of Marion Wagschal (Battat Contemporary, 2010) and has contributed essays to books on Mary Pratt, John Greer, David Askevold, Graeme Patterson, Colleen Wolstenholme, and Garry Neill Kennedy, among others. His book Our Maud: The Life, Art and Legacy of Maud Lewis was published by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in 2017, and Mary Pratt: Still Light by Gaspereau Press in 2018. Further titles in his book series, the Gaspereau Field Guides to Canadian Artists, are forthcoming.

Online Art Books

(Left) Jean Paul Lemieux, Preparatory sketch for “Québec (projet de peinture murale)” (“Québec [Mural Project]”), 1949. The Royal Collection, United Kingdom. Courtesy of The Royal Collection. © Estate of Jean Paul Lemieux. Photo credit: Royal Collection Enterprises Limited. (Right) Diane Landry, Brise-glace (Icebreaker), 2013. Collection of Méduse, Quebec City. Courtesy of Diane Landry. Photo credit: Ivan Binet.

Quebec City

Art & Artists

Quebec City Art & Artists : An Illustrated History
Un autoportrait de l'artiste debout devant un paysage majestueux, avec en arrière-plan une montagne enneigée et un lac.

Jin-me

Yoon

Jin-me Yoon : Life & Work
Une toile pâle sur laquelle sont disposées des rangées de traces de rouge à lèvres formant diverses bouches, reproduisant les silhouettes de bouches chantant « Ô Canada ».

Joyce

Wieland

Joyce Wieland : Life & Work
Illustration by Pitseolak Ashoona of an Inuit woman in traditional clothing with facial tattoos. A blue bird is on top of her head.

Pitseolak
Ashoona

Pitseolak Ashoona: Life & Work
Composite image of four scenes: a red river against a dark and barren landscape, a mountain painted in a modernist style, purple flowers and plants, and a person standing beside the trunk of a tree covered in burls.

Canadian Art &
the Environment

Coming Soon

Releasing April 2027Canadian Art & the Environment
Surrealist artwork by Mimi Parent of a tie made of long brown hair set against a man’s dress shirt and black suit lapels.

Mimi
Parent

Coming Soon

Releasing May 2027Mimi Parent: Life & Work
Abstract painting by Harold Town of a man wearing a bright striped coat sitting at a desk and writing. The desk is on top of a larger dining table, surrounded by tall chairs, and a dog sleeps underneath. An abstract red shape is seen in the background.

Harold
Town

Harold Town: Life & Work
A painting by Tom Thomson of a sparse landscape at night with bright green northern lights seen glowing in the dark blue sky, speckled with white dots for stars.

Tom
Thomson

Tom Thomson: Life & Work
Photography in Canada Composit of 4 photos

Photography in Canada, 1839–1989

Photography in Canada, 1839–1989:An Illustrated History
Painting of a rocky beach by Takao Tanabe with blue water, dark sand, and a grey sky. A large boulder is in the foreground on the right and forested land is visible in the distance.

Takao
Tanabe

Takao Tanabe: Life & Work

Art, Truth

& Reconciliation

Coming Soon

Releasing September 2026Art, Truth & Reconciliation
Left side is a painting of town buildings in white and bright orange, on the yellow floor. Right side is a symmetrical painting of cubism patterns in purple, green and blue.

Regina

Art & Artists

Regina Art & Artists : An Illustrated History
Composite image of four scenes: a person facing a large wooden acoustic sculpture outdoors, an abstract painting with bold brushstrokes, a war memorial statue of soldiers, and a historical painting of a wounded officer surrounded by figures.

War Art

in Canada

War Art in Canada: A Critical History
Illustration of person in a red sweater laying down on a green rug and watching the Dr. Phil show on television. The room is sparsely decorated with the TV sitting on a wooden box and a VCR on a lower box beside it, by Annie Pootoogook.

Annie
Pootoogook

Annie Pootoogook: Life & Work
Ottawa Drawing by Ernest Fosbery, and Bring Me to This Place, Photo by Meryl McMaster

Ottawa
Art & Artists

Ottawa Art & Artists:An Illustrated History

Edward

Burtynsky

Coming Soon

Releasing March 2027Edward Burtynsky: Life & Work

Wabanaki

Modern

Coming Soon

Releasing June 2026Wabanaki Modern:
The Artistic Legacy of the 1960s “Micmac Indian Craftsmen”

On the

World Stage

Coming Soon

Releasing March 2027On the World Stage:
Canada’s Art at the Venice Biennale
White ornate, house-shaped decorative box with gothic-style carvings, featuring a small circular window that reveals a skull inside.

Tim

Whiten

Tim Whiten: Life & Work

Homer

Watson

Homer Watson: Life & Work
A black and white photo of Françoise Sullivan standing on a sledding hill. Her right arm is raised and her left arm extends outward in a dancing pose. Leafless trees fill the background.

Françoise

Sullivan

Françoise Sullivan : Life & Work
A painting dominated by blue tones on a white wall. Feminine figures in varying shades of blue stand out from the background, with some figures appearing to pop outside the painting's frame.

Michael

Snow

Michael Snow : Life & Work
Untitled [Study for advertisement for Cutex nail polish], black and white photo by Margaret Watkins.

Margaret

Watkins

Margaret Watkins: Life & Work
Pen and ink illustrations in a medieval style of several birds with cursive labels in French, by Louis Nicolas

Louis
Nicolas

Louis Nicolas: Life & Work
Zacharie Vincent and His Son Cyprien, painting by Zacharie Vincent.

Zacharie

Vincent

Zacharie Vincent: Life & Work
Abstract blue painting of a landscape with trees above, made of small brushstrokes, and water below, made of long vertical strokes, by Kazuo Nakamura

Kazuo
Nakamura

Kazuo Nakamura: Life & Work
Abstract painting of three cows against bright hills made of patches of colourful brushstrokes, by Kathleen Munn.

Kathleen
Munn

Kathleen Munn: Life & Work
Ikayukta Tunnillie Carrying Her Drawings to the Co-op, stone carving by Oviloo Tunnillie

Oviloo

Tunnillie

Oviloo Tunnillie: Life & Work
An oil painting depicting a cozy, dimly lit interior centered around a warm fireplace with glowing embers. To the right, a small wooden table covered with a patterned cloth holds a potted plant with delicate white flowers. The room is decorated with warm tones, shelves, and cushions, creating an intimate, quiet atmosphere.

Mary

Hiester

Reid

Mary Hiester Reid: Life & Work
A golden-hued cedar sculpture by Bill Reid, "The Raven and the First Men," sits centered under a circular skylight. It depicts a massive, stylized Raven perched atop a giant clamshell, peering down at several small human figures as they emerge from within the shell.

Iljuwas

Bill

Reid

Iljuwas Bill Reid: Life & Work
Painting of a solemn family gathered around a table while a man writes a document, as others sit nearby in worried silence and a child watches from the floor.

George

Agnew

Reid

George Agnew Reid: Life & Work
Bonsecours Market, Montreal, painting by William Raphael

William

Raphael

William Raphael: Life & Work
A colourful woodland-style painting on a blue background. Stylized people, plants, and animals look towards a tree in the middle, with the figures on the left side visible in front of a rounded orange shape and the right side against a green and yellow shape.

Norval
Morrisseau

Norval Morrisseau: Life & Work
Painting by Mary Pratt

Mary

Pratt

Mary Pratt: Life & Work
The Chintz Sofa, painting by Helen McNicoll

Helen

McNicoll

Helen McNicoll: Life & Work
A vintage sepia photograph of two men in heavy winter clothing crouching in a snowy landscape. The man in front holds a rifle, looking intently off-camera, while the other peers over his shoulder. The head and antlers of a hunted caribou lie in the foreground next to a snowshoe.

William

Notman

William Notman: Life & Work
Pink Iceberg with Floes, painting by Doris McCarthy

Doris

McCarthy

Doris McCarthy: Life & Work
Abstract geometric painting with bold blocks of red, black, blue, and teal, featuring layered rectangles and angular shapes on a textured surface.

Marion

Nicoll

Marion Nicoll: Life & Work
Une fresque murale abstraite composée de traits de plusieurs couleurs à l'huile appliqués à l'aide d'un couteau à palette. Tous les traits suivent la même direction. Les couleurs primaires sont le noir, le blanc et le bleu, avec des accents de rouge et d'orange.

Jean Paul

Riopelle

Jean Paul Riopelle : Life & Work
A vertical painting of two girls in white 1900s-style gowns reading a book together. The brunette girl sits cross-legged with the book resting on her thigh. The blonde girl, with rosy cheeks, leans in toward the book, one hand behind her ear. Both are focused on reading. A burning fireplace glows behind them.

Sophie

Pemberton

Sophie Pemberton: Life & Work
A portrait painting of a young man sitting on a red chair, gazing to the left. He wears a jester's hat, a pink sweater over a white button-up shirt, and a grey bow tie. One hand holds a smoking pipe, while the other rests on his lap, holding a colorful mask.

Alfred

Pellan

Alfred Pellan : Life & Work
Photograph of a person with long black hair and the top of their face painted red. They are wearing long fringe earrings, dozens of red beaded necklaces over a bare chest, and long red gloves, by Ken Monkman

Kent
Monkman

Releasing September 2025Kent Monkman: Life & Work
Black and white portrait of Hannah Maynard

Hannah

Maynard

Hannah Maynard: Life & Work
Abstract painting of a patchy red background speckled with yellow, green, and blue spots, by Gershon Iskowitz

Gershon
Iskowitz

Gershon Iskowitz: Life & Work
Person with short blond hair holds a glass of milk against an orange background, with a small milk “mustache” above their lip

General

Idea

General Idea: Life & Work
Painting of a man wearing a feather headdress and large necklace over grey clothing. The background is solid blue with solid horizontal lines across the top in purple, black, red, and blue, by Robert Houle

Robert
Houle

Robert Houle: Life & Work
A woman sits at a small table applying white stage makeup to her face with a pencil while looking into a mirror, surrounded by makeup tools, bottles, and a pink cloth

Suzy

Lake

Suzy Lake: Life & Work
Road disappearing into the distance with headlight shining on it as if the perspective is you are the driver, at sunset.

Christopher

Pratt

Coming Soon

Releasing October 2026Christopher Pratt: Life & Work
color portrait photograph of Arnaud. He wears white clown makeup and a white clown costume.

Arnaud

Maggs

Arnaud Maggs: Life & Work
Painting of children sledding and playing on a large snow-covered hill in a wide winter landscape

William

Kurelek

William Kurelek: Life & Work
Gratitude, painting by Agnes Martin

Agnes

Martin

Agnes Martin: Life & Work
Black-and-white photograph of two people embracing and kissing beside a small waterfall, surrounded by rocks and leafy plants

Kiss &

Tell

Kiss & Tell: Lesbian Art & Activism

Halifax

Art & Artists

Halifax Art & Artists:
An Illustrated History
Painting of a woman sitting under a tree with fields in the background, by Prudence Heward

Prudence
Heward

Prudence Heward: Life & Work
Painting of a figure wearing dark shorts floating in green water with their arms out to the side, by Betty Goodwin.

Betty
Goodwin

Betty Goodwin: Life & Work
At Silver Heights, painting by Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald

Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald

Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald:
Life & Work
A geometric expressionist painting of the solar system. The sun glows from the top left against a dark blue, starry background. On the bottom right, a shiny black sphere with spreading red cracks emits a white cloud. A white circle overlaps part of the sphere, turning that overlapped area red.

Jock

Macdonald

Jock Macdonald: Life & Work
30 Grapefruit by Gathie Falk

Gathie

Falk

Gathie Falk: Life & Work
Painting of thin horizontal lines in grey and purple with a red background by Yves Gaucher

Yves
Gaucher

Yves Gaucher: Life & Work
Une peinture représentant un phare rouge et blanc au bord de la mer, situé sur une pelouse verte entourée de rochers gris. Des mouettes volent en formation au-dessus de lui, tandis qu'un bateau blanc navigue sur les eaux calmes au loin.

Maud

Lewis

Maud Lewis: Life & Work
A painting of a boy and an older woman standing together, both looking directly at the viewer. They are positioned at the opposite sides of the frame, with a park scene unfolding behind them. In the background, people enjoy the park, and a gazebo with a bright, waving flag has a small crowd gathered underneath it.

Jean Paul

Lemieux

Jean Paul Lemieux: Life & Work
Black and white composite photograph of Winston Churchill and Audrey Hepburn

Yousuf

Karsh

Yousuf Karsh: Life & Work
Halley’s Comet as Seen by Giotto, Painting by Paterson Ewen

Paterson

Ewen

Paterson Ewen: Life & Work
A boy wearing a striped shirt and a grey hat, absorbed in playing the harmonica. He is seated on a simple chair next to a wooden table. On the table rests a ceramic bowl containing a metal spoon and a half-eaten slice of white bread

Ozias

Leduc

Ozias Leduc: Life & Work
A dramatic painting of a woman riding a speckled grey horse along a golden-yellow grass slope. In the background, a power line in front of a dense line of green trees on the right side, all under a moody, overcast sky.

Alex

Colville

Alex Colville: Life & Work
Un autoportrait de Paraskeva Clark.

Paraskeva

Clark

Paraskeva Clark: Life & Work
Sculpture by Sorel Etrog

Sorel

Etrog

Sorel Etrog: Life & Work
Portrait painting of an Indigenous woman holding a feather fan, wearing beadwork and layered necklaces

Paul

Kane

Paul Kane: Life & Work
A bird's-eye view landscape painting of a highway. A single mini truck drives along the road, while a vast blue sky with white clouds fills the top two-thirds of the composition.

Jack

Chambers

Jack Chambers: Life & Work
A colorful abstract painting.

Oscar

Cahén

Oscar Cahén: Life & Work
Abstract pastel painting of flowing, shell-like forms and tall vertical white columns against a yellow background.

Bertram

Brooker

Bertram Brooker: Life & Work
Abstract geometric wall sculpture with pastel shapes on a green-to-blue gradient background.

Eli

Bornstein

Eli Bornstein: Life & Work
Abstract painting with a bold black horizontal band and a textured blue vertical form on a white background.

Paul-Émile

Borduas

Paul-Émile Borduas: Life & Work
Painting of a woman in a green uniform seated at a table with bottles, cups, fruit, and pastries, shelves of bottles behind her.

Molly Lamb

Bobak

Molly Lamb Bobak: Life & Work
An oil painting of four children on a dirt road on a grassy hill with the sea in the distance.

William

Brymner

William Brymner: Life & Work
Large Colour Wheel Painting by Greg Curnoe

Greg

Curnoe

Greg Curnoe: Life & Work
Mixed-media painting layering Indigenous portraits, historical images, text, and paint drips in red and ochre tones

Carl

Beam

Carl Beam: Life & Work
Statue of woman in front of the Vimy Memorial

Walter S.

Allward

Walter S. Allward: Life & Work
Statue of woman in front of the Vimy Memorial

Walter S.

Allward

Walter S. Allward: Life & Work
Painting of tall trees rising into a deep blue sky in a stylized forest landscape

Emily

Carr

Releasing September 2025Emily Carr: Life & Work

Shuvinai

Ashoona

Releasing September 2025Shuvinai Ashoona: Life & Work

Shuvinai

Ashoona

Releasing September 2025Shuvinai Ashoona: Life & Work

Halifax

Art & Artists

Halifax Art & Artists: 
An Illustrated History

Quos necessitatibus facere laboriosam neque ea perspiciatis repellendus id

Pitseolak

Ashoona

Pitseolak Ashoona: Life & Work

Eius quo vero minima corporis suscipit quod ipsum mollitia vel illum

Print Books

AvailableRevision and Resistance: mistikôsiwak (Wooden Boat People) at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Articles & Contributions

NewsRugged as the Canadian Landscape Copy

William Brymner declared this work to be his magnum opus

Read Post
SpotlightCapturing the Lion

How Yousuf Karsh took his most famous portrait.

SpotlightBridging Far and Near

William Brymner declared this work to be his magnum opus

SpotlightWreath of Flowers, 1884

William Brymner declared this work to be his magnum opus

NewsRugged as the Canadian Landscape

William Brymner declared this work to be his magnum opus

Videos

VideoArt Fraud & The Group of Seven

Jon S. Dellandrea, author and Chair Emeritus of the Art Canada Institute Board of Directors, discusses his new book, The Great Canadian Art Fraud Case.

VideoShary Boyle and Rajni Perera on Art and Change-Making

Boyle and Perera reflect on their experiences of navigating cultural distinctions within their collaborative relationships with institutions and other artists.

VideoArt Talk: The Book on Kent Monkman

Monkman addresses how the ACI’s publication Revision and Resistance is the only book to offer the behind-the-scenes story of mistikôsiwak (Wooden Boat People), two genre-defying paintings that have changed the conversation about art history.

VideoThe Launch of the Art Canada Institute

Founder and Executive Director Sara Angel talks to CBC News about the launch of the Art Canada Institute on November 28, 2013. Her vision was simple: make Canadian art history accessible to twenty-first century audiences by creating a multi-vocal, bilingual, comprehensive web resource on the country’s visual culture.

VideoMaud Lewis: A Folk Art Icon

When it comes to folk art in Canada, there’s before Maud Lewis (1901–1970)—and after. Celebrating the release of Maud Lewis: Life & Work by Ray Cronin, the panelists will discuss her legacy and pay tribute to the cheerful works that testify to her indomitable spirit.

VideoWalter S. Allward: Vimy & the Meaning of the Monument

Today many public monuments are controversial, but in the early twentieth century they were objects to behold—none more so than Canada’s Vimy Memorial in France, a destination for over 700,000 visitors each year. This talk will address the iconic structure, its construction, and the role of commemorative statues in art history.

VideoHelen McNicoll: Bringing Impressionism to Canada

This interview will reveal when and why Audain began buying art and how he became one of Canadian art’s most devoted patrons and instrumental in preserving and promoting our country’s cultural heritage.

VideoMichael Audain: Collecting Art in Canada

This interview will reveal when and why Audain began buying art and how he became one of Canadian art’s most devoted patrons and instrumental in preserving and promoting our country’s cultural heritage.

VideoRobert Houle: Rebel and Iconoclast

In this talk the Saulteaux artist and curator speaks about how, through his art, he has created a renewed vision of the world that includes the restoration of cultural memory, challenges to the government on political issues affecting Indigenous peoples, and the decolonization of the museum and the self.

Ray Cronin