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Inside an artist’s mind
While most of Mount Royal’s art acquisitions are on display to the public throughout the Lincoln Park Campus, some treasures are available only by visiting the university archives—including a remarkable set of sketchbooks by renowned artist Marion Nicoll.
Arguably Alberta’s most influential female artist, Nicoll began her career in the 1930s after graduating from the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art (now Alberta College of Art & Design) and becoming the institute’s first female instructor.
The three 9” x 12” coil-bound books feature mainly pencil sketches of figures in different poses, as well as costume and set designs for various stage productions.
The sketchbooks were part of the collection at the campus art gallery, which had operated from the 1970s to the 1990s, and were donated to Mount Royal by Peter Ohler of the Masters Gallery.
One of Alberta’s premier abstract artists, Nicoll was heavily involved in the Calgary art community throughout her lifetime. She was part of the influential “Calgary Group” of painters that included Jack MacDonald and Maxwell Bates, and was also a strong supporter and member of the Alberta Society of Artists and the Print and Drawing Council of Canada.
In the late 1950s, she received the Province of Alberta Achievement award and also became the first woman from the prairies to become a member of the prestigious Royal Canadian Academy of Art.
Known for its bold composition and imagery, Nicoll’s art has been acquired by many private collectors throughout North America, as well as by public institutions such as the Alberta Art Foundation, the University of Alberta and Memorial University in Newfoundland.
The sketchbooks, which were donated to Mount Royal on the condition that they neither be separated nor sold, offer a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a groundbreaking artist.
This page regularly showcases the collections of the Mount Royal University Archives. Thanks to the Director of the Archives, Patricia Roome, PhD, and her staff for their assistance in selecting artifacts and conducting research.