Arts and Music in Canada: Culture and Creativity

The Group of Seven

The Group of Seven is Canada's most famous art movement. Founded in 1920, this group of landscape painters believed that a distinctly Canadian art could only be developed through direct contact with nature. They painted the wild landscapes of the Canadian Shield with vivid colours and bold forms.

• Founding members — Franklin Carmichael, Lawren Harris, A.Y. Jackson, Frank Johnston, Arthur Lismer, J.E.H. MacDonald, Frederick Varley
• Style — Flat, bright colours inspired by Scandinavian painting
• Legacy — Initiated the first major Canadian national art movement
• 1933 — Replaced by the Canadian Group of Painters

Emily Carr

Emily Carr, an associate member of the Group of Seven, is famous for her paintings of West Coast forests and Aboriginal culture. She met the Group of Seven in 1927 at an exhibition of West Coast Aboriginal Art at the National Gallery, where Lawren Harris told her: "You are one of us."

Les Automatistes and Modern Art

The Automatistes, a Quebec abstract art movement of the 1940s-1950s, revolutionized Canadian modern art. Jean-Paul Riopelle (1923–2002) became one of the most internationally recognized Canadian artists. In the North, Kenojuak Ashevak (1927–2013) created etchings, prints, and soapstone sculptures that brought Inuit modern art to worldwide recognition.

Classical Music Pioneers

Canada has a rich classical music tradition. Sir Ernest MacMillan and Healey Willan are among the most important composers and conductors in Canadian musical history. Mentioned in the official Discover Canada guide, they helped establish a distinctly Canadian musical tradition.

Popular Music Legends

Canada has produced some of the most influential musical artists in the world, recognized for their creativity and originality.

• Leonard Cohen (1934–2016) — Montreal poet, singer-songwriter. Inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• Joni Mitchell (born 1943) — Born in Fort Macleod, Alberta. Her album Blue (1971) is considered one of the greatest albums of all time
• Celine Dion (born 1968) — Born in Charlemagne, Quebec. Over 200 million albums sold worldwide
• Drake (born 1986) — Born in Toronto. One of the most-streamed artists in history
• Neil Young (born 1945) — Born in Toronto. Folk rock and grunge legend
• The Weeknd (born 1990) — Born in Toronto. Global R&B and pop artist

Great Canadian Writers

Canadian literature is rich and diverse, with authors who have made a lasting impact on world letters in both French and English.

• Margaret Atwood (born 1939) — Novelist and poet, author of The Handmaid's Tale. A pioneer for women and Canadians in literature
• Alice Munro (1931–2024) — First Canadian to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013, hailed as "master of the contemporary short story"
• Robertson Davies — Major novelist of English-Canadian literature
• Mordecai Richler — Montreal novelist, author of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
• Margaret Laurence — Pioneering novelist of Canadian Prairie literature
• Louis Hémon — Author of Maria Chapdelaine, a classic of French-Canadian literature

Multicultural Voices

Contemporary Canadian literature is enriched by voices from immigrant and Indigenous communities.

• Joy Kogawa — Japanese-Canadian author who wrote about the internment of Japanese Canadians during World War II
• Michael Ondaatje — Born in Sri Lanka, author of The English Patient (Booker Prize)
• Rohinton Mistry — Born in India, acclaimed novelist based in Canada
• Pauline Johnson (1861–1913) — Mohawk-English poet, pioneer of Canadian Indigenous literature

The National Film Board (NFB)

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is one of the most important public film producers in the world. Founded in 1939 by John Grierson, the first Government Film Commissioner, the NFB's mandate is to interpret Canada to Canadians and to the world.

• 13,000+ productions created since 1939
• 12 Oscars and over 5,000 international awards
• Pioneer of social documentary, animation, and direct cinema
• 15% of production budget dedicated to Indigenous works

CBC / Radio-Canada

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC/Radio-Canada) is Canada's national public broadcaster. A bilingual institution, it plays an essential role in preserving and promoting a distinctly Canadian culture through radio, television, and digital platforms.

Renowned Canadian Filmmakers

Canada has produced world-renowned filmmakers mentioned in the Discover Canada guide.

• Denys Arcand — Quebec director, Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for The Barbarian Invasions (2003)
• Norman Jewison — Director of films like Fiddler on the Roof and In the Heat of the Night
• Atom Egoyan — Armenian-Canadian director, known for his auteur films

TIFF — Toronto International Film Festival

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is considered the most important film festival in North America. Created in 1976, it has become a major launching pad for the Oscar race and attracts filmmakers and stars from around the world every year.

Cirque du Soleil

Cirque du Soleil is the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Founded in 1984 by Guy Laliberté and Daniel Gauthier in Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec, it reinvented the circus by eliminating animals and focusing on human performance, music, and spectacular visual effects.

• 1984 — Founded in Quebec by street performers
• Global presence — Shows performed in over 60 countries
• 2002 — Inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame
• Innovation — Transformed the art of circus worldwide

The Stratford Festival

The Stratford Festival is the largest classical theatre festival in North America. Founded by Tom Patterson, a Stratford-native journalist who wanted to revitalize his town's economy, the festival is primarily dedicated to the works of William Shakespeare.

• Over 500 performances per season
• 9 months of activity per year
• 110 to 130 actors in the permanent company