The Magic of the Jack Bush Exhibition
- Diamond Zhou
- Apr 5
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 7
welcome to our
SATURDAY EVENING POST
April 5th, 2025
Jack Bush: Flaunting the Rules ends on April 12th
As we enter the final week of the exhibition, we can’t help feeling a deep sense of pride, gratitude, and celebration for what this exhibition has become.
This is not just a show. It all started with everything in our hearts and heads, ideas turned into pages, pages into shipping crates, crates into paintings laid out on the floor.
Then came the countless steps, moving one painting from one side of the gallery to another, adjusting, rethinking, placing, fine-tuning the rhythm until it all came together, until it became a show.
But it is not just a show, it is where people made friends, shared stories, discovered connections, and passed down passions. It’s where conversations unfolded, where history was remembered, where everyone who walked through the doors became part of something larger.
It is not just a show, it is where history was made. It is a moment in the cultural life of this city, a show that has been written about, spoken about, travelled for. Mothers told daughters, sons told fathers, friends told friends. People made special journeys to stand in front of these paintings.
And that’s what made it a show, a show that would not have been a show without all of you.
Jack Bush: Flaunting the Rules spans the crucial years between 1961 and 1976, and presents Bush’s most monumental works. It is the first major solo exhibition of his work in British Columbia in nearly half a century, and its arrival has marked a turning point in how we reflect on one of Canada’s most influential painters. As The Globe and Mail noted, it is “an opportunity to delight in the Canadian artist’s mischievous approach to colour-field painting”, a reminder of Bush’s ability to defy formalism while celebrating its possibilities. His legacy is not just in the boldness of his palette, but in the clarity of his vision.
Spin-Off Yellow (1976) radiates from the gallery walls, six by twelve feet of pure chromatic energy. January Reds (1966), once held in the collection of Andy Williams, draws the eye inward with its vibrant, rhythmic structure. And June Lilac (1972), on generous loan from the David and Audrey Mirvish Collection, hums with quiet power. Together, the works in this exhibition trace a path through Bush’s fearless engagement with colour, scale, and emotional resonance.
The exhibition has been met with extraordinary warmth and enthusiasm. Visitors have filled the gallery with a sense of discovery and shared admiration. The press coverage has been extensive, and the community response deeply moving. As one reviewer reflected, after nearly 50 years without a major Bush solo show in B.C., this one is “well worth a visit.”
We are profoundly grateful to those who made this exhibition possible. we acknowledges the steadfast support of Miriam Shiell, the insightful contributions of Roald Nasgaard, the scholarship of Dr. Sarah Stanners and Karen Wilkin, and the enduring generosity of David and Audrey Mirvish. We are also deeply thankful to the Estate of Jack Bush for their continued stewardship of his legacy, and to Acera Insurance, whose vital insurance sponsorship helped bring this vision to life.
This is your last chance to see Jack Bush: Flaunting the Rules. It has been a celebration, a homecoming, and a tribute. And we are so honoured to have shared it with you.
UPCOMING EXHIBITION
BARBARA ASTMAN: CONCEALED/REVEALED
Opening Saturday, April 26th, 2025
CURRENT EXHIBITION
JACK BUSH: FLAUNTING THE RULES
On view until April 12, this exhibition enters its final three weeks. This is the first solo exhibition of Jack Bush’s work in BC in 47 years. Don’t miss your opportunity to experience these monumental and significant works in person, a powerful and must-see exhibition.
A message from our Insurance Sponsor for this exhibition
At Acera Insurance, we’ve been serving the fine arts community for decades. Partnering with the world’s leading insurers, our advisors provide comprehensive, customized solutions to protect your valuable collections.
Contact: Farzina Coladon