BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS  

Peter Winchell Sager

February 23 1920 - November 1985

Northwest Printmakers

Peter Winchell Sager was born in Vancouver in 1920. He went to high school in Vancouver at Lord Byng, where he a pupil of Beatrice Lennie. Afterwards he was a pupil at the B.C. College of Arts, and at the Beatrice Lennie School of Sculpture, but was mainly self-taught. He was a sculptor and a printmaker using linoleum blocks.

He exhibited in the Seattle Art Museum's annual Northwest Artists exhibitions in 1937 and 1939.

He exhibited his work at the Toronto Art Gallery in 1939, the Northwest Printmakers in 1939, and with the Canadian Society of Graphic Artists. He showed work in the annual B.C. Artists exhibitions in 1935, 1936, 1938, and 1939. He had solo exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1937 and 1940. He exhibited a bronze sculpture at the Montreal Museum in 1964. He was living in Vancouver at that time.

Sager died in Toronto in 1985, according to information provided by Mr. Edward G. Margrett, who donated his research file on Sager to the Sarnia Art Gallery.


SOLO EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION LOCATION
1937 Nov. 30 - Dec. 12 Prints & Sculptures VAG
1940 April 2 - 14 Solo show (18 linocut prints) VAG

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION ARTWORK
1935 Nov. 22 - Dec. 8 VAG   B.C. Artists Christmas Exhibition "Village"
Indian Woman, Kneeling
1936 Sept. 18 - Oct. 11 VAG   B.C. Artists 5th Annual The Gathering
Windy Morning
Torso of a Woman
Calm
1936 Oct. 15 - 20 VAG   B.C. Artists Chilliwack Exhibition Windy Morning
1938 Sept. 16 - Oct. 9 VAG   B.C. Artists 7th Annual Composition
1939 Sept. 15 - Oct. 8 VAG   B.C. Artists 8th Annual Prelude for Space

References

SEATTLE ART MUSEUM - NORTHWEST ARTISTS EXHIBITIONS 1914 - 1975
     Refer to NWA BC artists by exhibition
     Refer to NWAA BC artists alphabetically

WHO'S WHO IN NORTHWEST ART (refer to WWNA41)
      Short entry for Sager.

ARTISTS IN CANADA 1982 - UNION LIST OF ARTISTS' FILES (refer to AIC82)

MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS - SPRING EXHIBITIONS 1880 - 1970 (refer to MM88)
      Brief reference to Sager, one bronze sculpture exhibited 1964.

A DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN ARTISTS (refer to M)
     Full page of references to the artist.

A CENTURY OF SCULPTURE (refer to SSBC98)

BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF ARTISTS IN CANADA (refer to BIAC03)
      5 references cited for Sager: including MM and WWNA above.

VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY - B.C. ARTISTS FILES (refer to VPL)

Clippings

"Youngest One Man Show in History of Gallery"
      News Herald, December 1 1937

" 'Old' at Twenty, Artist Displays City's First Abstract Show" by Doris Milligan
      Vancouver Sun, April 2 1940

"Unconventional Prints On Show"
      News Herald, April 3 1940

"Sharing these exhibition dates is a series of linoleum cuts by a talented youngster - he's not of voting age yet - named Peter Sager. ... Peter Sager's linoleum cuts, which have earned him exhibits in Seattle and Toronto, are too abstract for the average person to understand or enjoy. ... He has a flair for the medium; he is a sculptor besides. But he must be able to convey his ideas without explanatory captions or the public will fail to appreciate his work - and the public is the final judge."
      "Art Group, Youth Share City Gallery"
      Vancouver Province April 4 1940

"A member of the North-West Printmakers, the present showing consists of prints done by him in an advanced form of abstract design."
      Art Gallery Bulletin, Vol. 7, No. 7

"Mr. Peter Sager was born in Vancouver and had his first one-man show at the Vancouver Art Gallery when he was 17 years old. He has since had one-man shows in many cities in America and in Europe and has his works in the Public Collections of the National Gallery at Ottawa, Fogg Museum Harvard, New York Public Library, Brooklyn Museum, University of Michigan, Philadelphia Print Club, Ann Arbor Art Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum London. He was awarded a French Government scholarship in 1947 and had a studio in Paris for 5 years. In Europe he became interested in the theatre and ballet and did some of the decor for a London Ballet Company. Apart from his private and commissioned work he is now Canadian Representative for the famous Roosen Silk firm, for whom he designs prints for silk and Sea-Island cotton materials. He will show some of these materials to illustrate his talk. He returned to Vancouver in December 1952."
      Undated index card, Vancouver Art Gallery Library, Sager artist file

"SAGER, Peter 1920-(1985)
Vancouver sculptor who went to Paris on French govt. scholarship in 1947. Had 8 one-man shows before this in U.S. and Canada. Studied in Paris 5 years and exhibited in Paris, Copenhagen, Cannes and London. Took job in London as designer to Textile factory 1952. Influenced in his sculpture still by West Coast. Now on senior fellowship from Canada Council. He is returning to Canada to do some commissions. (1963)"
      1963 index card, Vancouver Art Gallery Library, Sager artist file


HOME