Carol Hoorn Fraser (1930–1991) was an American-born figurative artist who worked and lived for thirty years in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Biography

Carol Hoorn Fraser was born on September 5, 1930, in Depression-era Superior, Wisconsin. Her father, Arvid Hoorn, was a Swedish-American Lutheran pastor who built the family home and three churches himself. Her mother, Hazel, from an English tradition, did needlework, had an M.A. in Home Economics, and supported the family after Rev. Hoorn died of cancer in 1945.A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, volumes 1-8 by Colin S. MacDonald, and volume 9 (online only), by Anne Newlands and Judith Parker National Gallery of Canada / Musée des beaux-arts du Canada Fraser attended

Gustavus Adolphus College Gustavus Adolphus College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans led by Eric Norelius and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Gustavu ...

in Minnesota, graduating in 1951 with a major in chemistry and biology and a minor in art and literature. After a year as a research chemist at Archer Daniels Midland in St. Paul, she audited theology lectures at the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen (, commonly referred to as Georgia Augusta), is a Public university, public research university in the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1734 ...

, Germany (1952–53), and then worked for a year as a nurse's aide in the cancer recovery ward at the University Hospital in Minneapolis. During this time she took extension classes and earned enough credits to be accepted into the Master of Fine Arts program at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

, from which she graduated in 1959 with a minor in Philosophy and a 125-page thesis on "The Human Image in Contemporary Painting". She was Lorenz Eitner's course assistant and took classes from Malcolm Myers, John Hospers, and Allen Tate, among others.

Van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artwork ...

and

Käthe Kollwitz Käthe Kollwitz ( born Schmidt; 8 July 186722 April 1945) was a German artist who worked with painting, printmaking (including etching, lithography and woodcuts) and sculpture. Her most famous art cycles, including ''The Weavers'' and ''The Peasa ...

were particular heroes of hers. She exhibited widely in the Twin Cities. She married Ph.D. student John Fraser in 1956 and, in 1961, when he accepted a job in the

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

English Department, moved with him to

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

, where she was to spend the rest of her life, with time in Provence and Mexico. In 1977 she developed asthma and hyper-allergic sensitivities because of urea formaldehyde foam insulation. Her career as an artist spanned more than thirty years. During this time she produced a large body of figurative work using a variety of media. In the later 1960s she moved away from a modified Expressionism to a hard-edged organicism with ongoing ecological themes. In the 1980s she did a series of over a hundred strong-hued symbolical watercolours. She was an avid gardener. From 1964 to 1969 she taught drawing part-time at the School of Architecture at the Technical University of Nova Scotia. During the Seventies she curated a show of Expressionist prints and was Acting Director of the Dalhousie University Art Gallery for a year, curating the Fourth Dalhousie Drawing Exhibition in 1979. She also did free-lance public lecturing and in the Eighties did some art-reviewing for ''ArtsAtlantic''. She believed in clarity in art-discourse, and practiced it herself. She died at her home in Halifax on April 3, 1991, of cancer of the lungs. A

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by Culture of Mexico, the country' ...

calendar was on the wall beside her bed.

Publications

*
The Expressionist Image
', exhibition catalogue with introductory essay and descriptive commentary, Mount Saint Vincent Art Gallery, 1978. * ''The 4th Dalhousie Drawing Exhibition'', catalogue, Dalhousie Art Gallery, 1979.

memorial lecture, Dalhousie University Art Gallery, 1980.; printed in ''Article'', Eye Level Gallery (Halifax), May 1980.

(exhibition review), ''ArtsAtlantic'', 11, Spring 1981.

(review article), ''ArtsAtlantic'', 20, Summer 1984. * "Rockwell Kent: The Newfoundland Work," (review article), ''ArtsAtlantic'', no. 29, Summer/Fall 1987."Biography". A Visionary Gaze : In Memoriam Carol Hoorn Fraser 1930-1991. Halfax : Saint Mary's University Art Gallery, 1993

Awards

*Elected to the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Victoria of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria on 16 ...

, 1976. *Included in ''

Who's Who in American Art ''Who's Who in American Art'' is a biographical hardcover directory of noteworthy individuals in the visual arts community in the United States, published by Marquis Who's Who,"Who's Who in American Art 2011 – Publications", Marquis Who's Who, ...

'', 1977. *Included in ''Dictionary of International Biography'', 1979.

Solo exhibitions

* Penthouse Gallery, Montreal, 1964 * APAC Travelling Exhibition 1965–7 * Wells Gallery, Ottawa, 1967 * 'Carol Fraser; Paintings and Drawings, 1967–1977', travelling exhibition, Dalhousie University, 1977–78. Dalhousie University Art Gallery; Beaverbrook Art Gallery; Confederation Centre Art Gallery; Memorial Art Gallery; Burnaby Art Gallery; Southern Alberta University Art Gallery; Robert McLaughlin Gallery; Musée de Quebec. * Dresden Galleries, Halifax, 1983 * Studio 21, Halifax, 1985–7–8–90 * 'Drawings by Carol Fraser', Beaverbrook Art Gallery, 1987–88. Beaverbrook Art Gallery; Saint Mary's University Art Gallery;

Confederation Centre Art Gallery The Confederation Centre Art Gallery (CCAG; ) is an art museum that forms a part of the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. The art museum pavilion forms the northeast portion of the Confederation Centre ...

; Memorial University Art Gallery;

Museum London Museum London is an art and history museum located in London, Ontario, Canada. It is located near the forks of the Thames River. It started its operations in 1940 with London Public Library and amalgamated with London Regional Art Gallery and Lon ...

;

Robert McLaughlin Gallery The Robert McLaughlin Gallery is a public art gallery in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest public art gallery in the Regional Municipality of Durham, of which Oshawa is a part. The gallery houses a significant collection of Canadian conte ...

. * 'A Visionary Gaze; In Memoriam Carol Hoorn Fraser', Saint Mary's University Art Gallery, 1993–94; Saint Mary's University Art Gallery, Beaverbrook Art Gallery * 'Carol Hoorn Fraser: Unfinished Business',

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) is a public provincial museums of Canada, provincial art museum based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The art museum's primary building complex is located in downtown Halifax and takes up ...

, 2001

Group exhibitions

* American Federation of Art Traveling International Exhibition, 1955–1958 * University of Minnesota Gallery, Minneapolis, 1956–7–8–9–60 * Walker Art Center Biennials 1956, 1958 (first prize and purchase award, 1958) * UNESCO International Travelling Show, 1958–1959 * Minneapolis Institute of Art, Spring Biennial (first prize painting), 1959 * 'Sixteen Minnesota Artists', Walker Art Center (purchase award), 1960 * National Gallery of Canada Biennials, Ottawa, 1962–3–4 * 'Canadian Watercolours, Drawings and Prints', National Gallery of Canada, 1964 * Atlantic Pavilion, Expo '67, Montreal, 1967 * Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Spring Show, 1968 * New Talent Festival, Midtown Galleries, New York, 1974 * Nova Scotia Pavilion, Montreal Olympics, Montreal, 1976 * 'Painting Now',

Agnes Etherington Art Centre The Agnes Etherington Art Centre is located in Kingston, Ontario, on the campus of Queen's University. The gallery has received a number of awards for its exhibitions from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Association of Art Galleries ...

, Kingston, 1976–1977 * Other Realities; the Legacy of Surrealism in Canadian Art', Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston, 1978

Public collections

Fraser's work is in the permanent collections of public institutions such as the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's National museums of Canada, national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the List of large ...

, the

the

Art Gallery, Mount St Vincent Art Gallery, Halifax and elsewhere. A full list is given in her biography section in 'A Visionary Gaze; In Memoriam Carol Hoorn Fraser', Saint Mary's University Art Gallery, 1993–94.

Sources

Bibliography

* 'Artscope—Carol Fraser', half-hour CBC TV program, producer-director Janet Smith, 1984
Barry, Philippa, 'Interview with Carol Fraser,'
''ArtsAtlantic'', no.25, Spring, 1986, pp. 33–35. * ''Drawings by Carol Fraser 1948–1986'', introd. Ian G. Lumsden, fore. Mimi Cazort, Fredericton, N. B., Beaverbrook Art Gallery, 1986. * ''ArtsAtlantic'', no.41, 1991. * Lumsden, Ian G. 'The First Decade,' Charlottetown: Confederation Centre Art Gallery, 1975. * MacLachlan, Mary E. ''Carol Fraser: Paintings and Drawings'': 1967–1977, Halifax: Dalhousie Art Gallery, 1977. * ''Drawings by Carol Fraser 1948–1986'', introd. Ian G. Lumsden, fore. Mimi Cazort, Fredericton, N. B., Beaverbrook Art Gallery, 1986. * Riordan, Bernard. ''Nova Scotia Art Bank''. Halifax: Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, 1983. * ''A Visionary Gaze: In Memoriam Carol Hoorn Fraser 1930–1991'', Leighton Davis and John Fraser, Saint Mary's University Art Gallery, 1993 * Walker Art Center. ''1958 Biennial Paintings Prints Sculpture'', Minneapolis: Walker Art Center, 1958.

''Cities'' magazine, 1985.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Carol Hoorn 1930 births 1991 deaths American emigrants to Canada Canadian women artists Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts University of Minnesota alumni American expatriates in Germany Canadian surrealist artists