VANCOUVER, BC.- She toiled largely in obscurity during her lifetime. But now, sixty-seven years after her death, iconic BC artist Emily Carr is getting some major recognition. On June 9th, Carr joins the ranks of a select group of modern painters who have had their work exhibited at the prestigious international art exhibition dOCUMENTA. Every five years, dOCUMENTA is mounted in Kassel , Germany to showcase contemporary art from around the globe. A small number of historical artists are occasionally included in the presentation, which otherwise features cutting-edge work by artists producing today. Modern painters whose work has been shown in the past at this enormously influential exhibition include Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso. At dOCUMENTA (13), seven Carr canvasses from the permanent collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery are on display from June 9 to September 16, 2012.

“This is remarkable recognition for Emily Carr.” said Vancouver Art Gallery director Kathleen Bartels , “It is wonderful to see Carr receive the international attention she has long deserved. The Gallery is deeply honoured to have been asked to provide these superb paintings from our permanent collection to dOCUMENTA and to have the opportunity to showcase these works to hundreds of thousands of visitors to this world renowned exhibition.”

The Carr paintings on display in Kassel are: The Raven (1928-29), Totem Mother, Kitwancool (1928), Vanquished (1930), Totem and Forest (1931), Forest, British Columbia (1931-32), Red Cedar (1931), and Tree Trunk (1931). The Vancouver Art Gallery has the most significant collection of works by Emily Carr in the world, with more than 200 objects.

Emily Carr, born in Victoria , British Columbia in 1871, is one of Canada 's most renowned artists, noted as a landscape painter who brought the then-radical vision of modernism to the wilderness of BC. The most important BC artist of her generation, she is best known for her attention to the totemic carvings of the First Nations people of British Columbia and the rain forests of Vancouver Island .

“It was a dramatic moment for me personally to see Carr’s work on display at dOCUMENTA,” said senior curator, historical Ian Thom of the Gallery, “It’s an important occasion. It’s a stellar selection of Carr paintings. And I’m very much looking forward to so many people from around the world having this opportunity to see her work.”

Canadians who have presented their work at previous dOCUMENTA exhibitions include Stan Douglas, Rodney Graham, Ken Lum, Liz Magor, Michael Snow and Jeff Wall. Other Canadians invited to exhibit at this year’s dOCUMENTA (13) are contemporary artists Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller, Geoffrey Farmer, Brian Jungen and Gareth Moore.

The previous dOCUMENTA, held in 2007, attracted more than three-quarters of a million visitors from across Europe and around the world.