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house and Robson Square
, by the
same architect, form a lovely ensemble.
Vancouver's luxuriant vegetation (sus-
tained by abundant rainfall and a tem-
perate climate), unlike anything else in
Canada, is put to maximum use here.
Plants are draped along rough concrete
walls and in between multiple little
stepped ponds over which little water-
falls fl ow. Shops, restaurants and a skat-
ing rink welcome passers-by.
primary subjects were the Aboriginal
peoples and landscapes of the West
Coast. One look at her magnifi cent red
cedars, vividly rendered with expres-
sive swooshes of blue and green, re-
minds us why her work is so cherished
by Westerners. The gallery also hosts
very contemporary travelling exhibits,
and there is a lovely café with a reason-
ably priced menu on site.
The Vancouver Art Gallery
, located
north of Robson Square, occupies the
former Provincial Law Courts. This big,
sumptuous, neoclassical-style build-
ing was erected in 1908 according to
a design by British architect Francis
Mawson Rattenbury. His other credits
include the British Columbia Legislative
Assembly and the Empress Hotel, both
located in Victoria on Vancouver Island.
Later, Rattenbury returned to his native
country and was murdered by his wife's
lover. The building was renovated by
Arthur Erickson in the 1980s. Painted
gray and white and ornately decorated
with bas-relief, its rotunda is quite sim-
ply magnifi cent.
The same can be said of the Emily
Carr gallery on the fourth fl oor, decor-
ated in the same style and fondly re-
ferred to by the staff as the “wedding
cake room.” The gallery is home to an
important collection of more than 200
works by Emily Carr, most of which are
paintings. Selections are displayed on a
rotating basis. Emily Carr (1871-1945)
was a major Canadian painter whose
5
Detail of the facade of the Marine Building.
© Philippe Renault
4
The Vancouver Public Library recalls Rome's
Coliseum.
© iStockphoto.com / Zubin Li
Pages 34-35
3
Aerial photo of Vancouver, the metropolis of
Western Canada.
© iStockphoto.com / Kevin Miller
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