Victoria and Expressionism’s Second Wave: The Point Group

by: Mina Guan, YCW Collections and Engagement Intern

Step back into the 1960s and experience artworks from The Point Group, a modernist collective of Victoria artists formed in 1959. This new exhibition curated by Williams Legacy Chair and Art History and Visual Studies professor, Dr. Carolyn Butler-Palmer, assembles a unique selection of artworks from UVic’s permanent collection for public view.

The Point Group consisted of artists Herbert Siebner, Michael Morris, Flemming Jorgensen, Molly Privett, Elza Mayhew, Sylvia Sutton, Virginia Lewis, Duncan de Kergommeaux, Robert de Castro, William West, and Nita Forrest. Exhibiting at The Point Gallery on Fort Street, the group operated one of the first commercial art galleries in Victoria. Some of its founding members would later help form the Society of Limners, another group of modernist creatives.

[Image 2; caption: Herbert Siebner, Untitled (Figures), 1962 (recto)]

Victoria’s first wave of Expressionism can be seen through the artworks of Emily Carr whose training in Europe and practice in Victoria helped establish a place for modern art in the city. Many artists of The Point Group were also linked to Europe either through birthplace or through their training. Prussian-born artist Herbert Siebner taught many members of the group, imparting his own training in German and Abstract Expressionism to the collective.

With the formation of visual arts instruction at UVic in the early 1960s, some members of the Point Group left impactful legacies at UVic, including Siebner and Jorgensen, who were lecturers. William West was a professor in the Department of Theatre and later contributed to the design of the Phoenix Theatre Building.

[Image 3; caption: Elza Mayhew, Maiden of Knossos, 1962.]

The range of mediums and styles on display also demonstrate the individuality of the Point Group members. See Molly Privett’s prints for her bold use of colour or Michael Morris’ multimedia artworks for his creative assemblage of materials or Elza Mayhew’s sculpture for her subtle nod to Ancient Greek legends.

It is Butler-Palmer’s hope that through this exhibition, visitors “will come to appreciate the richness of the UVic art collection and the many un[told] stories it holds” while gaining “access to a more complex view of modern art in Victoria.”

Catch Victoria and Expressionism’s Second Wave: The Point Group at the Legacy Art Gallery Downtown (630 Yates St) until April 5, 2025. We are open 10-4 PM, Thursday to Saturday.

Image credit: Anahita Ranjbar