Betty Goodwin Canadian, 1923-2008

Born in Montreal, Betty Goodwin is regarded as one of Canada's premier contemporary artists. Concerned with the fragility and ephemeral quality of life, Goodwin created haunting and mysterious images of solitude and mourning.

Largely self-taught, Goodwin turned to painting in the late 1940s. In 1968, she enrolled in a printmaking course with Yves Gaucher at Sir George Williams (now Concordia University). There she began working with found objects and clothing articles in her prints, which brought her much international attention.

She created the Tarpaulin series between 1972 and 1974. Covering found sheets with gesso and paint and stitching and reworking the surface, she created mysterious collaged wall hangings.

Goodwin was the recipient of several awards, including the Prix Paul-Émile Borduas in 1986, the Gershon Iskowitz Prize of the Gershon Iskowitz Foundation and the Art Gallery of Ontario in 1995; the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award of the Canada Council for the Arts in 1981; the Harold Town Prize in 1998; John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship in 1988. In 2003, she was honored with the Governor General's Award and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Goodwin has had numerous solo and group shows within Canada, the United States, and Europe. She has also represented Canada at many international events, including Tokyo International Print Biennial in 1974; Ljubljana Biennial of Graphic Arts, 1975; São Paulo Biennial, 1989; and the Venice Biennial in 1995. Her work can be found in major public and private collections across the country, including the National Gallery of Canada and the Art Gallery of Ontario.