Preview


EXHIBITIONS

We explore all areas of this wondrous performing art—
from performers, to composers, to writers, to designers and builders of magic.

These exhibitions are housed and maintained by Magicana,
and they are here for you to discover and enjoy! 

 


 

A Magical Constellation

A Celestial Celebration

Join Michael Claxton in this updated “A to Z” series celebrating women in magic. Not only showcasing the great breadth and range of female magicians through the ages, Michael also shares his comprehensive bibliography, revealing thirty-five years of research.

Dell O'Dell

Learn more about Dell O’Dell, the glamorous, comedy magicienne and television pioneer, and discover how she became to be known as “The World’s Leading Lady Magician.” Vintage video clips are also on display.

Ross Bertram

Meet master magician Ross Bertram, one of magic’s greatest sleight-of-hand artists, through the eyes of his sole protégé, David Ben. Explore Ross’ life as David recalls their conversations about magic, about family and about life.

Movie Magic

Movie Magic

Here is an extraordinary collection of clips from 1976 to 1981, produced and preserved by Canadian magician Larry Thornton. Clips include many well-known performers such as Daryl, Paul Harris, and Mike Skinner, to name just a few, in never-before-seen video.

The Devil's Playthings

An original short film featuring a concert of sleight-of-hand conceived as a macabre fantasy. Created and performed by David Ben as a tribute to adventurer and tribal art collector Bill Jamieson, and his collection of artifacts documenting humiliation and cruelty.

Take Two

Take Two Archive

This is a rich archive of seventy-two articles written by Jamy Ian Swiss, examining the specific forms, or individual styles of magic and magicians. Jamy offers curatorial suggestions to illustrate his points, and describes what makes great magic and magicians.

Lyons Den Archive

Here is a compendium of thirty-six product reviews, along with additional essays, written by Jamy Ian Swiss. This exhibition is also an intensely-packed, insightful and, sometimes provocative collection of writing. 

The Oldest Trick in the Book

Magicana presents a series of immersive, fully interactive online exhibitions that explore the history and the mystery behind the world’s greatest magicians and the tricks that they perform.

The Magic Palace

The Magic Palace was a Canadian television series, produced and hosted by Dale Harney, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which was an inspiration for a generation of magicians. In an age before YouTube and the Internet, the show gave viewers a broad sampling of magic acts from North America and Europe in an unprecedented scale.

Luna de Verano

Luna de Verano was a television show produced in Spain for Canal Sur in 1990. The show was hosted by Juan Tamariz with a mix of close-up and stage performances with a number of special guests including: Gaëtan Bloom, René Lavand, Finn Jon, and many more. Enjoy over sixty performances and more than nine hours of magic.

Chan-tatachán

Join Juan Tamariz along with television co-hosts Pedro Reyes and Alaska (María Olvido Gara) in this wildly whimsical magic series called, Chan-tatachán, which ran in Spain from 1992 to 1993. This show featured many different sets of magic for close-up, parlour and stage performances. 

The Magical Chatterbox

Sid Lorraine has a blog! Actually, these are gems from Sid’s handwritten memoir, and they outline a fascinating landscape of magic during the twentieth century. Follow Sid as he chronicles his adventures discovering both magic and some of magic’s memorable characters.

Everything Erdnase

Everything Erdnase

After one hundred years The Expert at the Card Table remains the cornerstone of card conjuring and cheating at cards. The book has inspired and spawned numerous variants, as well as a slew of ancillary material. Come and discover Everything Erdnase.

An Extraordinary Life

This exhibition features of one of the most influential authors of magic tricks who ever lived: Stewart James. Come and explore this virtual exhibition and discover how a reclusive young boy from Courtright, Ontario transformed to become a major figure in magic history.