W.J. Phillips (1884-1963) was an active figure within Canada’s artistic community from 1913, when he arrived in Winnipeg from England, until his death 50 years later. He was an influential art critic and teacher, and worked widely across the country, as well in the United States and abroad.
The Human Trace is organized around four overlapping expressions of human activity that appealed to the artist, and recur throughout his imagery: the physical manipulation of the land itself, the building of structures, harnessing of the earth’s resources through labour, and human adaptation of the natural environment for leisure pursuits.
WAG@The Park presents a rotating series of exhibitions curated by the WAG at The Pavilion at Assiniboine Park Conservancy (APC). Art is selected primarily from the APC collection, as well as from the WAG’s vast holdings.
For more information, visit wag.ca/stories.