Jack Beder (1910-1987)
Jack Beder, a distinguished Polish-born artist who immigrated to Montreal in 1926, became an iconic figure in Canadian art for his vivid Montreal street scenes and distinctive 1930s Montreal cafes. These prized works, now rare and largely held in private and museum collections across Canada, reflect a deep connection to urban life and culture.
Beder's art, known for its dynamic and expressive landscapes spanning the Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia, draws parallels with Impressionist movements and influential groups such as the Group of Seven. His work also resonates with that of Montreal contemporaries like Goodridge Roberts and Louis Muhlstock, positioning him as a leading figure among the 'Jewish Painters of Montreal.'
His artistic range extended beyond landscapes to include still lifes, garden and flower scenes, as well as portraits and figure studies, showcasing versatility across various media including oil, acrylic, gouache, pastel, watercolour, and diverse printmaking techniques. Beder's talent also embraced the three-dimensional, with sculptures in wood, stone, and more.
Jack Beder's exhibitions have graced galleries throughout Canada and the United States, capturing the attention of private collectors and prestigious institutions alike. His works are celebrated in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Canada, National Portrait Gallery, Museum London in Ontario, Concordia University and McCord Museum in Montreal, Quebec Museum in Quebec City, Jasper-Yellowhead Museum in Alberta, Beaverbrook Art Gallery in New Brunswick, Donald Berman Maimonides Geriatric Centre, and Mount Sinai Hospital in Montreal. His contributions to art have been discussed in numerous publications, underscoring his lasting impact on Canadian art history.
Press
“During the 1950s, Beder was among those artists who maintained a strong attachment to figurative art despite the emergence of abstract movements.” “Beder nevertheless continued to experiment and in the fifteen years from 1960-1975 he produced a series of sculptures that embodied the more abstract formal explorations.”
-Esther Trepanier, Jewish Painters of Montreal: Witnesses of their Time, 1930-1948. 2008.
About Beder’s cafe and club scenes: “this aspect of Beder’s art has no real parallel.”
-Esther Trepanier, Jewish Painters of Montreal: Witnesses of their Time, 1930-1948. 2008.
:Montrealer Jack Beder was, and arguably still is, an artist’s artist.” “The small Montreal buildings that are often Beder’s subject matter of choice come through with a force that is both architectural and broodingly meditative.”
-Henry Lehmann, The Gazette, Nov.4, 2006, on exhibition at West End Gallery, Westmount (Montreal).
“For some reason, Jack Beder remains perhaps the least appreciated of the gifted Montreal artists who reached their artistic maturity in the 1930.” “his ravishing portraits of Montreal.”
- Henry Lehmann, The Gazette, Feb. 28, 2004, on the exhibition “Jack Beder: City Lights” at Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Concordia University, Montreal.
“This exhibition pays homage to the artist’s unique contribution to the artistic milieu of Quebec and focuses on his urban vision of downtown Montreal in the 1930s and 1940s. In addition to Beder’s modernistic representations of streets and neighbourhoods, the work from this show provides a rare glimpse into the cultural life of the city’s downtown cafe and nightclub scenes.”
- Concordia University Exhibition final report, ”Jack Beder: City Lights,” 2004.
“Jack Beder and Louis Muhlstock became the ‘masters’ of urban painting.”
- Esther Trepanier, Jewish Painters and Modernity, 1987.”