Audain Art Museum

Permanent Collection

The Museum contains a permanent collection of the province’s most celebrated artists. Highlights include hereditary Haida Chief James Hart’s The Dance Screen (The Scream Too), an exceptional collection of historical and contemporary Indigenous masks, the largest permanent display of paintings by Emily Carr, and key examples of the Vancouver photo conceptualism movement.

Two significant works by nationally recognized artists have recently been acquired by the museum. Emily Carr's Survival and Lawren Harris' Mountain Sketch LXXVII (Consolation Lake) are now on display. The collection also includes The Crazy Stair, a painting by Emily Carr which sold at auction for a record-breaking $3.3 million. This price was the highest ever paid for an Emily Carr at auction, the highest for a work by a Canadian female artist and the fourth most expensive work at an art auction in Canada.

Exhibitions

The museum displays up to three temporary exhibitions a year, creating an ever-changing display to delight locals and visitors alike. Including both historical and contemporary art, they produce their own exhibitions and showcase art from leading art institutions around the world to complement their permanent collection.

Current Exhibitions

Karin Bubaš: Garden of Shadows

Date: September 23, 2023 – January 29, 2024
Description: Karin Bubaš’s practice has been diverse, concerned with both the natural and built environment. Her subjects have ranged from the banal and mundane to the outright sublime. Her ongoing Studies in Landscapes and Wardrobe series depicts carefully styled, solitary female figures set within idyllic and apocalyptic landscapes. The works reference the depiction of women in art and cinema and Hollywood feature films, particularly the films of Michelangelo Antonioni and Alfred Hitchcock, as well as the tradition of the sublime in 19th century landscape painting. Karin Bubaš: Garden of Shadows is a mix of old and new work, centered around the tension between the summer and winter season. Monochromatic photographs taken in cold arctic conditions (such as icebergs in Iceland, frozen waterfalls and snow-covered forests) are juxtaposed against the bright hues of summer, with fields of dahlias, sunflowers and rose gardens. There is also a series of still-life flower studies inspired by the paintings Manet made on his death bed.

Gathie Falk: Revelations

Date: November 25, 2023 – May 6, 2024
Description: Now in her nineties, legendary Canadian artist, Falk, was born in 1928 of Russian Mennonite heritage in Brandon, Manitoba. She settled in Vancouver, where she established herself as one of the country’s most visionary and experimental artists. Her work has been widely collected and Falk has been the recipient of numerous visual arts honours including Order of Canada, Governor General’s Award, and the Gershon Iskowitz Prize. The current exhibition, with over 90 works, underlines the incredible range of her creative output in ceramic and bronze sculpture, acrylic and oil on canvas painting, photography and video, as well as multi-media installation. It will offer viewers a rare opportunity to witness such iconic pieces as The Problem with Wedding Veils, Chair with Fish and Pink Ribbon, Red Angel and Picnic with Dog.

Upcoming Special Exhibitions

Tom Thomson: North Star

Date: June 29 – September 30, 2024
Description: Tom Thomson’s catalytic achievement changed the face of Canadian painting forever. He has a canonical place in Canadian culture, and each generation must reckon with his legacy anew, bringing to bear the fresh perspectives of their time. Gathering works from the leading collections of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and the National Gallery of Canada, as well as other Canadian museums and private collections, this exhibition will provide a fresh view of one of Canada’s most incandescent talents, focusing on the small en plein air oil sketch, of which he is the supreme master. Oil sketches will be organized both by chronology and by theme, paring away the inessential to get at the essence of his vision, and isolating moments of artistic experimentation.

Admission

Adult: $20
Senior: $18
Young Adult (19 to 25): $10
Youth & Children (18 and under): Free
Members: Free

When to Visit

Whistler Cultural Pass – $30 per person

The Whistler Cultural Pass provides access to the Audain Art Museum as well as the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre at a reduced price. Save up to 20% when you purchase tickets as a dual admission pass.

Please note that the Audain Art Museum is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays and the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre is closed on Mondays. Passes are not dated and can be used at any time.

Gift Shop

The Audain Art Museum Shop features a wide selection of handmade jewellery, pottery, wood work and homeware from British Columbia artists, as well as artist prints and collector books from the Audain's permanent collection and temporary exhibits.

Where is the Audain Art Museum?

The Audain Art Museum is located at 4350 Blackcomb Way. Parking is available in the day lots.

View Map of Audain Art Museum