When Alice steps through a mirror to an alternate universe in Lewis Carroll’s sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, she discovers an inverse world of characters, imagery and time.
The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria aims to replicate some of that wonder with its summer exhibition, Through the Looking Glass, structured on the late 19th Century Carroll novel of the same name.
The exhibition – opening today – takes viewers on a mind-bending journey through 100 years of modern and contemporary art history from the gallery’s own collection, organized chapter-by-chapter by guest curator Lee Plested.
The exhibition features works by Édouard Manet, Pablo Picasso, Henri Mattisse and Auguste Rodin, and well-known contemporary artists the Group of Seven, Andy Warhol and Michael Show, Michael Morris and Ann Kipling among others.
Many of the works are already part of the AGGV’s impressive collection, usually hidden in storage.
“There are some world-class pieces in this collection,” Plestad says. “My hope is that audiences will develop an understanding of modern and contemporary art history, and will be inspired by the great artistic accomplishments of the past.”
Carroll’s novel will also be the inspiration for next month’s Urbanite cocktail evening at the gallery. That event runs June 13.
Through the Looking Glass runs until Sept. 7. For more information, visit aggv.ca.
