Winnipeg Art Gallery Celebrates 130 Years of 'Canada on Canvas'

Written by rubin Friday, 24 April 2009 14:11

WINNIPEG , MB . - A new exhibition opening at The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) brings together historical portraiture, landscape, and abstract paintings by 50 of Canada’s most distinguished artists, including Tom Thomson, Emily Carr, and Jean-Paul Riopelle. Canada on Canvas: A Private Collection at The Winnipeg Art Gallery, opening on May 2nd, spans approximately 130 years of production, from the mid-19^th century up to the 1970s.

A nation’s painting tradition can give substance to a rich weave of beliefs, hopes, memories, and fears that sustain a people. Its visual narratives can enliven a sense of collective belonging and equally remind us of the competing interests and struggles that are no less defining.

“This exhibition celebrates Canada’s painting tradition by highlighting three areas of thematic content: people, place, and paint,” says Associate Curator Andrew Kear. “These categories criss-cross histories and regions, and allow for a focused look at how painterly subjects and techniques are shared and evolve in different locations, at different historical moments. The exhibition offers varying perspectives on the relationship between artistic expression and a country’s inhabitants, its landscape, historical experiences, and, perhaps most importantly, the collective, and sometimes competing, ideas and narratives through which Canadians have understood themselves.”

“Although augmented by works from our own collection, Canada on Canvas: A Private Collection at The Winnipeg Art Gallery draws extensively from an important private collection of Canadian painting, on generous long-term loan to the WAG,” says Director Dr. Stephen Borys. “We are delighted to have been the institution chosen to display this magnificent collection.”

Mayberry Fine Arts is the Associate Sponsor of Canada on Canvas: A Private Collection at The Winnipeg Art Gallery. Media sponsor is 102.3 CLEAR FM. The exhibition continues until September 6.

Established in 1912, the Winnipeg Art Gallery is Western Canada’s oldest public art gallery, mandated to develop and maintain Manitoba’s visual arts heritage. As one of Canada’s leading galleries, it collects and exhibits works of art by Manitoba, Canadian, and international artists.

More information on all WAG exhibitions and programs can be found at www.wag.mb.ca.