Jeanne Beker, the trailblazer of Canadian fashion and music storytelling, inspires new Calgary exhibition

Before influencers on social media, Canada’s Jeanne Beker was bringing the world of high fashion down to earth and as Calgary’s Glenbow Museum gets a major make-over, it will include a new exhibition showcasing the pop culture icon.

Obsession: The Unscripted Life of Jeanne Beker will debut at Glenbow’s new home, the JR Shaw Centre for Arts & Culture, when it re-opens in 2026, and will explore the ways that Beker pioneered entertainment storytelling.

“Telling that really big Canadian story, I mean she’s had such a global impact,” said Glenbow chief operating officer and vice-president of engagement Melanie Kjorlien.

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Beker hosted Fashion Television for nearly three decades and had a knack of making the world of haute couture relatable to a wider audience, while at the same time befriending some of the biggest names in the industry.

Among her achievements was an exclusive interview with Italian designer Valentino before he announced his retirement.

“For me it was always about humanity and exposing the humanity behind the artistry,” said Beker.

She often highlighted Canadian talent, including Calgary-based designer Paul Hardy, who is co-curating the exhibition with Beker.

“Growing up on the Prairies, a child of bankers and accountants I wasn’t really exposed to the fashion industry. And she really opened up a world, not just for me, but the general viewing public about that industry that was largely veiled in secrecy,” said Hardy.

The upcoming exhibition will be the first in a new double-height gallery, and will explore Beker’s life, including her early years, after she was born in Toronto to Holocaust survivors.

“They came here (to Canada) with a lot faith and a lot of hope and a lot of dreams,” said Beker.

“My father’s motto was don’t be afraid and never give up, and that’s how I was raised,” she added.

Paul Hardy (left) and Jeanne Beker (right) stand in the new salon gallery while it is under construction, planning the exhibition Obsession: The Unscripted Life of Jeanne Beker. (Supplied/Glenbow)

She started out as an actress, then studied mime before becoming a journalist; creating new forms of storytelling, including The NewMusic, a music magazine show that helped influence the creation of MuchMusic.

In 1995, she also launched @Fashion one of the earliest fashion websites on the Internet.

“She was a real trailblazer,” said Hardy.

Artifacts in the exhibit will include videos of Beker’s shows, fashion gifted from designers and inspiration pieces including her family’s original TV and radio and the Paul McCartney poster that hung above her bed as a tween.

“Here I was as a kid dreaming about Paul McCartney and then I got to interview him!” said Beker.

She said a big theme of the exhibition will be about manifesting your dreams.

“We live in an incredible country,” she said, “I was always taught to dream and believe, and I think that’s a large part of what got me this far.”

Glenbow Museum staff say the exhibition will be unlike anything people may have seen before because of the way it will be presented and Beker’s unique journey.

“The belief that she always had in herself as an individual to really pursue her dreams and pursue her goals, I think that’s something that will come through really strongly throughout the exhibition,” said Kjorlien.

The exhibition dedicated to someone who made the runway more accessible will itself be accessible.

Thanks to an endowment, when the museum reopens in 2026, admission will be free.

There will be a chance to learn about Beker’s life story even sooner.

Her new memoir, Heart on My Sleeve: Stories from a Life Well Worn, publishes on Oct. 8.

Beker will also be speaking at Calgary’s Wordfest on Oct. 20.