New Group of Seven Stamp Series features a piece from the OAG’s Firestone Collection of Canadian Art!

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Group of Seven, Canada Post is issuing 7 new stamps on May 7, 2020. Featuring artworks by original members of the Group, the set includes In the Nickel Belt (1928) by Franklin Carmichael, a work from Ottawa Art Gallery’s Firestone Collection of Canadian Art— a significant art collection that spans the modern period (1890–1985)—housed and presented by the Gallery.

In the Nickel Belt is one of Franklin Carmichael’s most important works. Among hills of rock, a billow of rising smoke majestically dominates the skyline, reflecting Carmichael’s reverence for the Northern Ontario landscape, alongside his critique of environmental destruction through industry. While it was executed almost 100 years ago, in the face of climate change the significance of this work continues to be relevant for contemporary audiences.

This piece will be travelling to Europe for a celebratory exhibition called Magnetic North: Canadian Modern Painting 1910-1940, co-organized by the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, the National Gallery of Canada, and the Art Gallery of Ontario.

We displayed a large mural re-creation of the chosen piece by Franklin Carmichael in OAG’s exhibition (Re)Collecting the Group of Seven: Celebrating 100 Years, presented by Regional Group, which opened this past January.

Visit Canada Post’s website to purchase the stamps online.