Art Canada Institute to Release William Raphael: Life & Work— A Landmark Study on a Founding Figure of Canadian Art
The Art Canada Institute (ACI) has announced the November 19, 2025 release of William Raphael: Life & Work, a richly illustrated online publication dedicated to one of Canada’s most significant early painters. Available free of charge at aci-iac.ca, this new volume will bring long-overdue scholarly and public attention to an artist whose contributions helped define the visual identity of nineteenth-century Montreal.
William Raphael, 1833-1914 Bonsecours Market, Montreal, 1880 Oil on canvas 12 x 16 in 30.5 x 40.6 cm - Collection, National Gallery of Canada
A pioneering artist in early Canadian painting
Born in 1833 in Nakel, Prussia (now Poland), William Raphael trained in Berlin before emigrating to Montreal in 1857. He became the first Jewish artist to establish a professional practice in Canada and went on to produce a diverse body of work — portraits, genre scenes, landscapes, and city views — that vividly document Montreal’s transformation in the late nineteenth century. His paintings such as Bonsecours Market, Montreal and Behind Bonsecours Market remain among the era’s most recognizable depictions of daily life.
The ACI publication, authored by art historian Pierre-Olivier Ouellet provides a comprehensive look at Raphael’s career, combining new research, archival material, and high-resolution images of his key works from both private and public collections.
A continuing legacy at Galerie Walter Klinkhoff
The Klinkhoff family has long held a deep connection to William Raphael’s art. In September 1996, Galerie Walter Klinkhoff presented a landmark William Raphael Retrospective Exhibition with a text by Sharon Goelman. The exhibition brought together important paintings from private and institutional collections, reaffirming Raphael’s place among Canada’s formative artists.
Over the decades, my family has had the privilege of handling numerous Raphael paintings and has contributed to the continued study and appreciation of his art.
Why this publication matters
The ACI Online Art Book Project series has become one of the most authoritative and accessible resources on Canadian art. For collectors, curators, and students of Canadian art, the book on Raphael deepens our understanding of how his work connects to themes of immigration and the development of a professional art community in nineteenth-century Montreal.
A shared commitment to Canadian art
As someone who has had the privilege of engaging with William Raphael’s work in many capacities — dealer, appraiser, friend of Raphael’s descendants and through my family’s 1996 exhibition — I am particularly excited to see this important study come to life. The ACI’s dedication to research and public access aligns perfectly with my grandfather’s original commitment to preserving and promoting Canada’s art history.
Collectors, scholars, and art enthusiasts are invited to explore the new publication after November 19, 2025 and to revisit Raphael’s contribution to Canadian art.
Explore the publication:
William Raphael: Life & Work — Art Canada Institute
