Mabel May
Quick Facts
Biography
Henrietta Mabel May (September 11, 1877 – October 8, 1971), was a Canadian artist in the early 20th century and an organizer of women artists. She began her studies with William Brymner at the Art Association of Montreal (1909 – 1912). Following study in Paris, May returned to Montreal where she became an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
During World War I, May was hired to create paintings of women in munitions factories; some of that work is in the Canadian War Museum.
In 1920, May was a founding member of the original Beaver Hall Group, which supported the local Montreal art community and organized exhibits of their work. When the group dissolved two years later, May and nine other women artists continued a lasting friendship and working relationship that would later become recognised as the Beaver Hall Group. In 1933, she became a founding member of the Canadian Group of Painters.