Philip Surrey LL. D. (1910-1990) was a Canadian artist known for his figurative scenes of Montreal. A founding member of the

Contemporary Arts Society The Contemporary Arts Society was founded by John Goodwin Lyman, John Lyman in 1939 to promote modern art in Montreal, at a time when Canada was dominated by academic art. Lyman was the Society's first president. The additional officers were vice-p ...

, and Montreal Men's Press Club (now Montreal Press Club), Surrey was part of Montreal’s cultural elite during the late 1930s and 1940s."Philip Surrey." ''National Gallery of Canada.'
Web.
/ref>"Philip Henry Howard Surrey." ''AskART''
Web.
/ref> In recognition of his artistic accomplishment he was 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 Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

, awarded a

Canadian Centennial Medal The Canadian Centennial Medal (french: Médaille du centenaire du Canada) is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint in 1967 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation and was awarded to Canadians who were ...

in 1967 and was appointed to the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

in 1982. His work is in the collections of the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the l ...

(Ottawa ON),

Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec The Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec ( en, National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec), abbreviated as MNBAQ, is an art museum in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The museum is situated in Battlefield Park and is a complex consisting of four bui ...

Ottawa Art Gallery The Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) is a municipal gallery in Ottawa, Ontario that opened in 1988 at Arts Court. The gallery has a permanent collection of over one thousand works, houses the City of Ottawa-owned Firestone Collection of Canadian Art, and ...

, and museums across Canada. A figurative expressionist, Surrey was concerned with composition and design.Daigneault, Gilles. "L’Expressionnisme de Philip Surrey." ''Vie des Arts,'' 24:96, Autumn 1979. p69
Web.English Translation.
/ref> Painting scenes of city life, his early work featured solitary figures on street corners and in cafes or taverns during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. His work in the 1940s and 1950s is characterized by "their sombre colours, their mysterious shadows, their eeriness, and the loneliness and secrecy of their subjects."Rigelhof, T.F. "Electric Light and the Light of the Sky." ''Philip Surrey Retrospective Exhibition''. Montreal: Alan Klinkhoff Gallery. 2004
Web.
/ref> From the 1960s on, his work became more stylized and luminous with young women or gregarious urban dwellers as subjects. Throughout his career, Surrey worked in watercolours, oils, ink, charcoal as well as lithography, and his oeuvre also includes Canadian landscapes.

Early life and education

Philip Henry Howard Surrey was born on October 8, 1910, in Calgary, Alberta, the son of adventurer Harry Philip Surrey and Kate de Guerin, a relative of portraitist Richard Crosse, who taught him to read, write and sketch.Capreol, Joan. "Painter of city-scapes. ''The Westmount Examiner'', 12 Jul. 1979. Print. 4-5. As a young child, Surrey lived at

Raffles Hotel Raffles Hotel is a British colonial-style luxury hotel in Singapore. It was established by Armenian hoteliers, the Sarkies Brothers, in 1887. The hotel was named after British statesman Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singap ...

in Singapore and the

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

in Calcutta, and attended St Paul's School in Darjeeling. In 1919 he was sent to a preparatory school in England where, according to biographer T.F. Rigelhof, "he was known as the Surrey boy, the stranger, the outsider and lonely without friends his age, but exotic – he had ridden camels and elephants, walked about with a pet orangutang, and conversed with snake-charmers." Following his father's request for a divorce, in 1921 his mother fled with Surrey to

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, Canada, where she found work as a teacher north of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. Surrey attended school there until age 14 when he moved to Winnipeg to complete his studies at Kelvin High School. At age 16 he was hired as an apprentice at the commercial art firm Brigdens Limited, where, on his free time, he went on sketch outings with co-workers and discovered the work of

Robert Henri Robert Henri (; June 24, 1865 – July 12, 1929) was an American painter and teacher. As a young man, he studied in Paris, where he identified strongly with the Impressionists, and determined to lead an even more dramatic revolt against A ...

and the

Ashcan School The Ashcan School, also called the Ash Can School, was an artistic movement in the United States during the late 19th-early 20th century that produced works portraying scenes of daily life in New York, often in the city's poorer neighborhoods. ...

. At this time, he also attended evening classes given by Lionel

LeMoine FitzGerald Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald D.F.A., also known as L. L. FitzGerald (March 17, 1890 – August 5, 1956) was a Canadian artist and art educator. He was the only member of the Group of Seven based in western Canada. He worked almost exclusively in Manit ...

and George Overton at the

Winnipeg School of Art The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.Web.
/ref> In May 1927, Surrey began to paint urban scenes in earnest, completing 300 mixed-media sketches within a year. He also continued to work at Brigdens, illustrating women’s wear for the 1928 and 1929 Eaton's Western Catalogue until the autumn of 1929, when he moved to Vancouver to work as a commercial artist at Cleland-Kent Engraving. In the evening he studied under

Group of Seven The Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental political forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States; additionally, the European Union (EU) is a "non-enumerated member". It is official ...

painter

Frederick Varley Frederick Horsman Varley (January 2, 1881 – September 8, 1969) was a member of the Canadian Group of Seven. Career Early life Varley was born in Sheffield, England, in 1881, the son of Lucy (Barstow) and Samuel James Smith Varley the 7th. He ...

and

Painters Eleven Painters Eleven (also known as Painters 11 or P11) was a group of abstract artists active in Canada between 1953 and 1960. They are associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement. History Since the 1920s, artists in English Canada had been h ...

artist

Jock Macdonald James Williamson Galloway Macdonald (31 May 1897 – 3 December 1960), commonly known in his professional life as Jock Macdonald, was a member of Painters Eleven (Painters 11, or P11), whose goal was to promote abstract art in Canada. Macdo ...

at the Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts (now

Emily Carr University of Art and Design Emily Carr University of Art + Design (abbreviated as ECU) is a public art university located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The university's campus is located within the Great Northern Way Campus in Strathcona. The university is a co-e ...

). During 1932 and 1933 Surrey's work was exhibited in the ''Canadian Show'' held at the

in Ottawa. In 1936, inspired by the work of

John Sloan John French Sloan (August 2, 1871 – September 7, 1951) was an American painter and etcher. He is considered to be one of the founders of the Ashcan school of American art. He was also a member of the group known as The Eight. He is best known ...

and the

Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of Ameri ...

, Surrey left Vancouver for

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

. He attended the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

where he studied for three months under Alexander Abels and

Frank DuMond Frank Vincent DuMond (August 20, 1865 – February 6, 1951) was one of the most influential teacher-painters in 20th-century America. He was an illustrator and American Impressionist painter of portraits and landscapes, and a prominent teac ...

. In March 1937 Surrey moved to Montreal and, in June, was joined by Varley, by then a close friend.

Career

In Montreal Surrey freelanced as a commercial artist and re-established his friendship with Brigden co-worker Fritz Brandtner. He soon established relationships with

John Goodwin Lyman John Goodwin Lyman (September 29, 1886 – May 26, 1967) was an American-born Canadian modernist painter active largely in Montreal, Quebec. In the 1930s he did much to promote modern art in Canada, founding the Contemporary Art Society in 1939. ...

, Stanley Cosgrove,

Goodridge Roberts William Goodridge Roberts (1904–1974) was a Canadian painter known for his landscape paintings, still lifes, figure paintings and interiors. He was also a teacher. Career Goodridge Roberts was the son of poet and novelist George Edward Theod ...

, Jean Paul Lemieux, Jean Palardy,

Jori Smith Marjorie "Jori" Smith, (January 1, 1907 – November 25, 2005) was a key figure in the 1930s in initiating Canada's modernist art movement. She was a founding member of the Contemporary Arts Society in 1939. Biography Smith was born in Montreal, ...

, and Jeanne Rhéaume, and became a member of the

Eastern Group of Painters The Eastern Group of Painters was a group of Canadian artists formed in 1938 in Montreal, Quebec for exhibition purposes and showing together as a group till 1950. It included Montreal artists whose common interest was painting and an art for art's ...

. In March 1939 he was hired to assist art director

Hazen Sise Hazen E. Sise (1906–1974) was a Canadian architect, educator, and humanitarian. Early life and education Sise was born in 1906 in Montreal, Quebec. His father was president of the Northern Electric Company, and his uncle president of the Bel ...

of the

Montreal Standard The ''Montreal Standard'', later known as ''The Standard'', was a national weekly pictorial newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, founded by Hugh Graham. It operated from 1905 to 1951. History The Standard began publishing in 1905 as a Saturda ...

newspaper and was appointed photo editor shortly thereafter when Sise left to join Dr.

Norman Bethune Henry Norman Bethune (; March 4, 1890 – November 12, 1939; zh, t=亨利·諾爾曼·白求恩, p=Hēnglì Nuò'ěrmàn Báiqiú'ēn) was a Canadian thoracic surgeon, early advocate of socialized medicine, and member of the Communist Party ...

in Spain. In June Surrey married Bethune's former mistress Margaret Day and exhibited at the New York World's Fair and at the Art Gallery of Toronto (now

Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; french: Musée des beaux-arts de l'Ontario) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The museum is located in the Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, on Dundas Street West between McCaul and Beve ...

), with

André Biéler André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese language, Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French language, French-s ...

, Henri Masson and

Louis Muhlstock Louis Muhlstock, LL.D. (April 23, 1904 August 26, 2001) was a Canadian painter best known for his depictions of the Great Depression and for landscapes and urban scenes in and around Montreal. Career Born in Narajów, Galicia, Austria-Hungar ...

. Later that year, Surrey was a founding member of and frequent exhibitor at the

with Lyman, Brandtner, Roberts, Muhlstock,

Paul-Émile Borduas Paul-Émile Borduas (November 1, 1905 – February 22, 1960) was a Québecois artist known for his abstract paintings. He was the leader of the avant-garde Automatiste movement and the chief author of the Refus Global manifesto of 1948. Bord ...

Prudence Heward Prudence Heward (July 5, 1896 – March 19, 1947)Ferrari, Prudence. "Prudence Heward: Painting at Home." (2001). In ''Framing Our Past: Canadian Women's History in the Twentieth Century,'' S.A. Cook, L.R. McLean, and K. O'Rourke, eds. Montreal: Mc ...

, and

Marian Dale Scott Marian Mildred Dale Scott (; 1906–1993) was a Canadian painter. Life She was born Marian Mildred Dale in Montreal on 26 June 1906.https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/marian-mildred-dale-scott She showed talent at an early age: he ...

. His work was also included in the international exhibitions ''Contemporary Painting in Canada'' at

Addison Gallery of American Art The Addison Gallery of American Art is an academic museum dedicated to collecting American art, organized as a department of Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. History Directors of the gallery include Bartlett H. Hayes, Jr. (1940– ...

(Andover MA) in 1942, and ''Canadian Art 1760 - 1943'' at the

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Art Gallery in 1944. Turned down as a war artist due to the importance of his work at the

, in 1944 Surrey and reporter

Mavis Gallant Mavis Leslie de Trafford Gallant, , née Young (11 August 1922 – 18 February 2014), was a Canadian writer who spent much of her life and career in France. Best known as a short story writer, she also published novels, plays and essays. Pe ...

selected and captioned some of the first

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

photographs published in North America. In 1945 Surrey's first solo exhibition was held at L'Art Français (now

Valentin Gallery Valentin Gallery is an art gallery in Quebec. Created in 1934, it was first called "L'Art français" and had its start on Laurier Street in Montreal. Owners Lucienne (1900-1992) and Louis (1890-1956) Lange initially showed works by French arti ...

) in Montreal. He also exhibited at the

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA; french: Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, MBAM) is an art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest art museum in Canada by gallery space. The museum is located on the historic Golden Square ...

with John Lyman, Eric Goldberg and Goodridge Roberts in 1949, with Louise Gadbois in 1949, and with York Wilson in 1955. A solo exhibition of his work was held at the

in 1960. Surrey continued as a photo and features editor at the ''Montreal Standard'' and then its successor ''Weekend'' magazine until June 23, 1964, when publisher

John Wilson McConnell John Wilson McConnell (July 1, 1877 – November 6, 1963) was a Canadian sugar refiner, newspaper publisher, humanitarian and philanthropist in Quebec, Canada. Early life J.W. McConnell was born to a farming family in the Muskoka region of Ont ...

appointed him associate editor so that he could paint full-time."Artist Philip Surrey captured heart of Montreal on canvas." ''The Westmount Examiner.'' 10 May 1990. 29. Print. In 1965 and 1967, Surrey's solo shows at Galerie Martin sold out and, by 1970, he was represented by Galerie Gilles Corbeil. Solo exhibitions of his work were also held at the

Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal The Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MACM) is a contemporary art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the Place des festivals in the Quartier des spectacles and is part of the Place des Arts complex. Founded in 1964, it is ...

in 1971 and at the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris in 1972. His work was included in the group exhibitions ''Canadian Painting of the Thirties'' at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 1967, ''Panorama of Painting in Quebec: 1940 - 1955'' in 1967, ''The Arts of Quebec'' in 1974 at the

, as well as ''Canadian Painting in the Thirties'' at the National Gallery of Canada in 1975. From 1965 to 1975 Surrey also taught drawing at Concordia University (Montreal QC). After his retirement from ''Weekend'' in 1975, he continued to paint full-time and exhibited in the important group shows ''Three Generations of Quebec Painting'' at the

in 1976, ''Major Movements in Twentieth Century Canadian Art'' at the Edmonton Art Gallery (now Art Gallery of Alberta] in 1978, ''The Contemporary Arts Society: 1939 - 1948'' at the

in 1981, ''Modern Art in Quebec 1916 - 1946'' at the

in 1982, as well as ''Vancouver Art and Artists: 1931 - 1983'' at the

Vancouver Art Gallery The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) is an art museum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The museum occupies a adjacent to Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, making it the largest art museum in Western Canada by building size. Designed by Franc ...

in 1983. In 1989 Surrey's vision declined and he stopped painting. He died in Montreal on April 24, 1990. After his death, his work continued to be exhibited in such group shows as the 2001 ''Brigdens of Winnipeg'' at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the 2001 ''Defining the Portrait'' and the 2008 ''This is Montreal!'' exhibitions at the Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery (

Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

) in Montreal. In 2004 the ''Philip Surrey Retrospective Exhibition'' was held at Galerie Walter Klinkhoff in Montreal. In 2015, biographer T.F. Rigelhof initiated the online newsletter ''The Artist in the City Project'' and the Philip Surrey website.

Recognition and contribution

Recognized as a "leading exponent of urban landscape painting in Canada", Surrey's

citation read: "His Montreal street scenes convey an emotive vision of the modern city, with its anonymous crowds and individual solitudes. His expressive style and a poetic humanitarianism constitute a unique contribution to Canadian art." In his anthology of Canadian painters from 1930-1970, Paul Duval wrote: "No other Canadian artist has painted life in the city with such constancy and authority... with candidness and a highly original outlook." Surrey's early work is compared to

or to

Edward Hopper Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realist painter and printmaker. While he is widely known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching. Hopper created subdued drama ...

although was described as "rarely as bleak and never as nostalgic nor as repressed". Biographer T.F. Rigelhof also noted the performance aspect in his work and "a mysterious forcefulness that releases the dancers and their viewers into belonging to something greater than our individuated selves." Reviewer Guy Viau compared Surrey to a theatre director: "He studies their goings and comings... as they pass and meet. But not with a judging eye. An eye that feels at one with them. A fraternal eye." ''Vie des Arts'' reviewer Giles Daigneault wrote, that for Surrey, "painting exists to console" viewers "through difficult periods of life". Surrey himself wrote: "The only effective outlet for all deeper feelings and thoughts is art."

Honours

Surrey received the Centennial Medal in 1967, an honorary degree from Concordia University in 1981, and was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1982.

Collections

Surrey's work has been collected by the

(Ottawa ON),

, Ottawa Art Gallery (Firestone Art Collection), and Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery (

Concordia University, Montreal Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

). His work is also found in the collections of the

Art Gallery of Alberta The Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) is an art museum in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The museum occupies a building at Churchill Square in downtown Edmonton. The museum building was originally designed by Donald G. Bittorf, and B. James Wensley, alth ...

(Edmonton AB),

(Toronto ON),

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

(Halifax NS),

Beaverbrook Art Gallery The Beaverbrook Art Gallery is a public art gallery in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. It is named after William Maxwell "Max" Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook, who funded the building of the gallery and assembled the original collection. It opened i ...

(Fredericton NB),

, Art Gallery of Hamilton,

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 ...

(London ON),

Winnipeg Art Gallery The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) is an art museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Its permanent collection includes over 24,000 works from Canadian, Indigenous Canadian, and international artists. The museum also holds the world's largest collect ...

(Manitoba),

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV) is an art museum located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Situated in Rockland, Victoria, the museum occupies a building complex; made up of the Spencer Mansion, and the Exhibition Galleries. The ...

, Musée d'art de Joliette,

Sherbrooke Museum of Fine Arts The Sherbrooke Museum of Fine Arts (french: Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke) is an art museum in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 241 Dufferin Street in downtown Sherbrooke. The museum receives funding from the City of Sherbrooke, ...

Owens Art Gallery Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Like other liberal arts colleges in North America, Mount Allison does not parti ...

(Mount Allison University, Sackville NB), and at the

Agnes Etherington Art Centre The Agnes Etherington Art Centre is located in Kingston, Ontario, in the heart of the historic campus of Queen's University. Situated on traditional Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Territory, the gallery has received a number of awards for its exhib ...

(Queen's University, Kingston ON). Many of his papers are stored at

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...

(Ottawa ON).

Works at National Gallery of Canada

*''Going to Work'', 1935 *''The Red Portrait,'' 193
Web.
*''Plaza Café,'' c. 195
Web.
*''The Young Ladies of the Village (after Courbet),'' 196
Web.
*''Every Canadian Must Fight,'' c.1939-4
Web.

Memberships

Surrey was a member of the C.S.G.A., the

Eastern Group Eastern Electricity plc was an electricity supply and distribution utility serving eastern England, including East Anglia and part of Greater London. It was renamed ''Eastern Group'' under which name it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and ...

, and the

References

External links

Philip Surrey
at the

Philip Surrey
at ''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

''
Philip Henry Howard Surrey
at askART
Philip Surrey
at Alan Klinkhoff Gallery
Philip Surrey
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Surrey, Philip 1910 births 1990 deaths 20th-century Canadian artists Artists from Calgary Members of the Order of Canada