Canadian War Museum sends First World War art exhibit to Arras, France

By Jullian Paquin

The Canadian War Museum is getting ready to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge by sharing its war art collection with a larger audience than usual.

After travelling across Canada for the past two years, the art exhibit — titled Witness: Fields of Battle Through Canadian Eyes — is crossing the Atlantic. The museum is sending the collection to Arras, France for the approaching centennial of the Vimy Ridge battle, which began on April 9, 1917.

Witness will be presented at the Musée des beaux-arts in Arras from March 18 to June 11.

The exhibit features more than 100 artworks by more than 50 artists, including A.Y. Jackson, Frederick Varley, Arthur Lismer and Frank Johnston, who are best known for their work as members of the Group of Seven.

Their paintings show what the First World War looked like from the eyes of men on the ground.

The Canadian War Museum will also be commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge by offering free admission to the museum from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 9.

This includes a live screening of the ceremonies happening at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial site near Arras, and also at the National War Memorial on Elgin Street from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.