A Like Vision:
What forces molded
the Group of Seven?

Ian A C Dejardin is an art historian, exhibition curator and museum professional.

From April 2017, Ian has held the position of Executive Director for the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ontario. In 2005 he succeeded Desmond Shawe-Taylor as Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery having held the position of Curator of that Gallery’s famous permanent collection of European Old Master paintings from 1998. While at Dulwich, Ian co-curated many exhibitions:Henry Moore at Dulwich Picture Gallery (2004); Painting Canada: Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven (2011); Emily Carr: From the Forest to the Sea (2014); and Vanessa Bell (2017), the latter two exhibitions in collaboration with Sarah Milroy, with whom he has also co-curated David Milne: Modern Painting (2018; at Dulwich Picture Gallery, the Vancouver Art Gallery and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection).

He has organised numerous other exhibitions for the DPG and authored the Gallery’s publication, Director’s Choice (2006), published by Scala (something he has also done for the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in 2018). 2019 Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald: Into the Light (co-curator)

Ian A. C. Dejardin holds an MA (Hons) in History of Art from the University of Edinburgh. He completed a postgraduate Diploma in Art Gallery and Museum Studies at Manchester University. He started his career as a curatorial assistant at the Royal Academy of Arts, then spent seven years with English Heritage, firstly as Senior Curator of Paintings for the London Region, responsible for, amongst others, the collection at Kenwood House; then as Head of Historic Team.

Whiffers got a fascinating insight into Canada’s quintessential artists by a world renowned art expert.