Pre-Loved, Iconic Canadian Art and Mid-Century Design, a new show at Gallery Lagom melds two private collections of mid-century modern furniture and a wide-ranging portfolio of Canadian art.

The show and sale opening Sept. 5, features 27 pieces dating from 1871 to 1990 and 20 pieces of mid-century Danish and European furniture, wallhangings, lights, vases and soapstone sculpture belonging to the estate of Michael and Karin Clifford.

The artists in the show include William Ronald, founder of the abstract art group Painters Eleven, Thoreau MacDonald, Group of Seven member A. J. Casson, Doris Jean McCarthy, Marion Nicoll, Leonard Hutchinson and others.

Curator Liz Eakins has created an immersive experience through vignettes harkening back to the mid-century modern era popular from the 1940s to the 1970s, the same vintage as some of the art.

“So many stories here,” said Eakins. “This exhibition allows us to experience Canadian art and mid-century design not as separate histories, but as part of a larger cultural conversation about modern life, creativity, and the spaces we inhabit.”

The exhibition explores the dialogue between design and art across generations, presenting furniture celebrated for its clean lines, innovative materials, craftsmanship, and enduring functionality alongside paintings, works on paper, and limited edition prints by iconic Canadian artists. Together, the collections offer visitors an opportunity to consider how Canadian art methods and Scandinavian design practices evolved through periods of profound social, cultural, and aesthetic change.

From early Canadian artistic traditions to the modern and contemporary movements that shaped the country’s visual identity, the exhibition highlights both established and evolving approaches to landscape, abstraction, nature, and everyday life.

The mid-century modern furniture complements this historical perspective, reflecting a period when designers increasingly embraced simplicity, functionality, new technologies, and innovative approaches to materials and form. The juxtaposition of furniture and art creates unexpected connections between colour, geometry, texture, craftsmanship, and the changing ideals of modern living.

Pre-Loved, Iconic Canadian Art and Mid-Century Design will be on view at Gallery Lagom, 178 Mill St., Creemore until Sept. 27, with an invite-only opening from 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4.

There will be a collector’s talk at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10 with an admission fee of $20, which includes a cocktail.