This pop-up exhibition, held in the Lande Room of Rare Books & Special Collections on September 16th, 2019, focused on the man who inspired the Beatty Lectures.
Born in 1877, trained as a lawyer, Sir Edward Beatty became head of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1918. Described as “the man with the world’s biggest job” he also took on the role of Chancellor of McGill University and steered the institution through the high points of the 1920s prosperity and the challenges of the depressed 1930s. Living in a Pine avenue house he expanded to allow for entertaining and sports, he seems to have had boundless energy to lead Canada’s major railway and its most important universities. Included in the display were original photographs, artwork reproductions, and other archival material retracing Beatty’s life, from his inspection trips with the Canadian Pacific Railway to the interior of his home and his landmark moments as Chancellor of McGill. Presented by the McGill Visual Arts Collection in partnership with McGill University Archives and McGill University Research and Innovation, this exhibition was curated by Gwendolyn Owens, Director of Curatorial Affairs, and Rachel Vincent-Clarke, Communications and Collections Assistant.
Unknown artist, Parrots, handpainted mural, Beatty Hall
Unknown artist, Birds in the Distance (detail), handpainted mural, Beatty Hall