Adam Sherriff Scott, RCA, 1887-1980

Adam Sherriff Scott was born in Perth, Scotland and began his art education as a teenager at the Edinburgh School of Art.

He was a bright student whose potential was recognized early on, and he was awarded a 4-year scholarship to continue his studies at a finishing school for talented young artists called the Patrick Allen-Fraser School of Art.

The young Adam Sherriff Scott studied under artist George Harcourt, a Scottish-born artist best known for his portraits.

Afterwards, Adam Sherriff Scott continued his studies in London at the Slade School of art under Henry Tonks, who was a renowned teacher.

Like other young artists from Britain, Adam Sherriff Scott immigrated to Canada in 1912. This was around the same time future Group of Seven artists Arthur Lismer and Frederick Varley and painter William John Hopkinson moved to Canada.

Montreal Art Scene

But unlike those artists, who settled in Eastern Canada, Adam Sherriff Scott settled with his parents in Brandon, Manitoba. There, he earned an income by painting large scenes of the Canadian West which were used to advertise real estate.

In 1915, Adam Sherriff Scott moved to Montreal, where he lived and painted for the rest of his long life (like several other prominent Canadian artists, he lived into his 90s.)

Adam Sherriff Scott enlisted and served as a soldier in the First World War, returning home after the war with the rank of acting captain.

In Montreal, Adam Sherriff Scott became associated with the Beaver Hall Hill Group of painters, which included A.Y. Jackson, Robert Pilot, Edwin Holgate, Randolph Hewton, Lilias Torrance Hewton, Anne Savage, Prudence Heward, Mabel May, Nora Collyer and others.

Beaver Hall Group

The Beaver Hall Hill Group has only more recently been recognized as a major art movement on Canada. Though the association was short lived – from about 1920 to 1922 – it is now seen as perhaps second in importance only to the Group of Seven.

The Beaver Hall Hill Group has also now been recognized for giving equal treatment to women artists of the day; 10 members were women.

It is unclear how closely Adam Sherriff Scott fitted in with the group, which has been noted for giving voice to modernism in Canada. His own style was traditional.

Adam Sherriff Scott was a noted muralist and portrait painter, working on numerous commissions. He was also the official painter for The Gazette in Montreal, creating calendars, posters and portraits.

Painting Canada’s North

During the 1920s, Adam Sherriff Scott lived in Canada’s North with Inuit, and he painted scenes of their daily life. These are among the scenes he is best known for, though he also painted traditional seascapes and landscapes, and distinct Quebec scenes.

Later, he established his own art school called the Adam Sherriff-Scott School of Fine Art. Over the years he taught many artists, including Jack Bush and Armand Tatossian.

In 1944, he was elected as a full member of the Royal Canadian Academy, and he would go on to paint for several more decades.

In the 1960s, Adam Sherriff Scott painted 20 murals depicting old Montreal for the Board of Trade.

Adam Sherriff Scott died at age 93 in 1980.