Art Dealers Association of Canada to show Douglas Coupland at The Armory Show 2012 in New York
January 26, 2012
January 26, 2012 (Toronto, Ontario) - The Art Dealers Association of Canada (ADAC) is pleased to announce its official participation in The Armory Show in New York. For the second consecutive year, ADAC will represent Canadian art dealers and artists as a non-profit organization at this prestigious international marketplace. The Armory Show takes place March 8 to 11, 2012; the ADAC will be located in Pier 94 at booth 829.
For its 2012 installment, the ADAC will present an innovative exhibition along with special programming that aims to highlight Canadian creativity with a spotlight on iconic Canadian artist Douglas Coupland who is recognized by both Canadian and international audiences. The ADAC booth will showcase a selection of his newest work, never before exhibited in the United States.
With the curatorial leadership of Toronto Arts Foundation Associate Director William Huffman, the ADAC has developed a special Canadian-focused program which includes onstage dialogue between Douglas Coupland and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art curator Denise Markonish, special tours lead by Canadian gallerists, and an initiative, launched last year, entitled The Expat Effect, that highlights a number of Canadian artists living and working in New York. The project is accompanied by a publication containing original essays by Art Gallery of Ontario curator Michelle Jacques and Douglas Coupland.
Jeanette Langmann, President of the Art Dealers Association of Canada, says, “Working with The Armory Show again this year continues the ADAC mandate of stimulating the Canadian art market, and encouraging the awareness of the visual arts both nationally and abroad, while providing promotional and professional development opportunities for its member galleries across Canada. We are especially excited to be working with Douglas Coupland on this uniquely Canadian project”.
A special preview of the featured works by Douglas Coupland was held at Daniel Faria Gallery in Toronto in conjunction with the opening of Welcome to the Twenty-First Century. The exhibition continues until April 7, 2012.
This initiative is made possible through a unique public sector partnership with Canadian Council for the Arts, Consulate of Canada in New York, Government of Ontario and Toronto Arts Foundation. The ADAC is grateful for the invaluable sponsorship of PACART Fine Art Services and Amsterdam Brewery.
Art Dealers Association of Canada is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1966 to provide a professional platform for the determination of ethical standards as they relate to commercial galleries. ADAC also actively lobbies government on issues affecting the visual arts. The association undertakes vital programming and professional development initiatives aimed at building national and international profile for Canadian commercial galleries specifically, and around the Canadian art market in general.
For more information: Elizabeth Edwards at 416-934-1583 or elizabeth@ad-ac.ca
Torben Kristiansen Receives ADAC Lifetime Achievement Award
November 28, 2011
It is with great pleasure that we announce that this year's ADAC Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Torben Kristiansen at the Art Dealers Association of Canada's Annual General Meeting, on Monday November 28th, 2011.
The AGM was held at The Art Gallery of Ontario in the new Weston Family Learning Centre, with a talk by the inaugural Artist in Residence Paul Butler and a guided tour of the exhibit Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde. The AGM was followed by a cocktail reception at Bau-Xi Photo, where both members and non-members were invited to watch Mr. Kristiansen accept the award from Jeanette Langmann, President.
In 1960, after several years of experience as a dealer in Europe and Canada, Torben V. Kristiansen purchased The Art Emporium in Vancouver. Established in 1897, The Art Emporium is the oldest art gallery in Canada west of Toronto. Later that year, Kristiansen relocated the business to South Granville, becoming the first art gallery on the street. After purchasing several buildings in the neighbourhood, he made a point of renting storefronts almost exclusively to other galleries, therefore establishing what is now known as Gallery Row. This district continues to boast the highest concentration of art and antique galleries in Western Canada.
The ADAC began honouring our longstanding dealers in 2001 with a tribute to Mr. Av Isaacs. This year we are privileged to add Mr. Kristiansen’s name to our list of distinguished recipients, who include Mira Godard, Roger Bellemare, Ian Muncaster, Uno Langmann, Michel Moureault, Walter Klinkhoff, Faye Settler, Walter Moos and Av Isaacs.
For decades Torben Kristiansen has been one of Canada's most respected art dealers, whose contribution to the landscape of Canadian Art has been profound and enduring. We congratulate him on this achievement.
Art Dealers Association of Canada at Art Toronto
October 25, 2011
Information: Liz Edwards at 416-934-1583 or elizabeth@ad-ac.ca.
The Art Dealers Association of Canada (ADAC) is pleased to announce its official participation at Art Toronto taking place 28 October to 31 October 2011, with a special preview evening on Thursday, 27 October. The ADAC pavilion is located at Booth #1202. In partnership with Canada Council for the Arts, Government of Ontario, Toronto Arts Foundation and Art Toronto, the ADAC will showcase a broad selection of works from 15 member galleries from across the country. In addition, the ADAC presents a number of public programming events throughout the course of the fair.
The exhibition and public programs are curated by Toronto Arts Foundation Associate Director William Huffman; work has been selected from the results of an open call to the ADAC membership. Working with Art Toronto continues the ADAC mandate of providing promotional and professional development opportunities for its member galleries across Canada.
Participating galleries are: Abbozzo Gallery; Canada House; Douglas Reynolds Gallery; Edward Day Gallery; Gallery 78; Gallery Gevik; Gallery Moos; Kinsman Robinson Galleries; KWT Gallery; Lonsdale Gallery; Michael Gibson Gallery; Miriam Shiell Fine Art; Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain; Rukaj Gallery; Trias Gallery.
Participating artists include: Dianne Bos; Shayne Dark; Paul Fournier; Michael French; Robert Genn; Adad Hannah; Osheen Harruthoonyan; Anne-Marie Kornachuk; Ann Manuel; Amanda McCavour; William Perehudoff; Rick Rivet; Stephen Scott; Moy Sutherland; Svava Thordis Juliusson; Diana Thorneycroft; Harold Town; Raymond Waters; Olexander Wlasenko.
The following program of talks and walking tours will be presented in conjunction with the exhibition:
Friday 28 October at 1pm: Oh Canada, Why Canada?
Denise Markonish, Curator at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) in conversation with independent curator Nancy Campbell about her upcoming exhibition Oh, Canada! Scheduled to open May 27, 2012, it will be the largest survey of Canadian contemporary art to take place outside of Canada. Featuring more than 60 artists, the goal of the exhibition is to encourage dialogue about contemporary art made in Canada. Supported by Toronto Arts Foundation and Toronto Entertainment District BIA.
Sunday 30 October at 1pm: The 2013 Indigenous Quinquennial at the National Gallery of Canada
Focusing on the contemporary artwork of Indigenous artists from around the world, Christine Lalonde, Associate Curator of Indigenous Art at the National Gallery of Canada introduces the Gallery’s project-on-progress, the key issues, and the range of artistic practices utilized by Indigenous artists, towards understanding the relationship between the convergent and divergent forms of expressions as they co-exist.
Daily at 4 pm, the ADAC Booth 1202 Trust the Experts: Intimate Tours with Experts from the Art World is a program of tours for the experienced art buyer and collector. Senior art professionals will engage audiences and explore the complexities of Canadian art through a series of tours covering historical, modern and contemporary art. Tours run daily starting at 4pm at the ADAC booth and themes include emerging artists, Quebec galleries, the collector’s perspective and interpreting contemporary art.
Ongoing: Place
Curated by William Huffman, Place explores the notion of navigation as a unifying theme -- ultimately moving people through the fair and activating existing elements with intervention based mechanisms by artists Jon Sasaki and An Te Liu. This initiative is a presentation partnership between Toronto Arts Foundation (TAF), the Art Dealers Association of Canada (ADAC) and Art Toronto, and is generously supported by David Angelo, Gillian Hewitt Smith, Kathleen Sharpe and Eb and Jane Zeidler.
The Art Dealers Association of Canada is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1966 to provide a professional platform for the determination of ethical standards as they relate to commercial galleries. The ADAC also actively lobbies government on issues affecting the visual arts. The association undertakes vital programming and professional development initiatives aimed at building national and international profile for Canadian commercial galleries specifically, and around the Canadian art market in general.
We wish to acknowledge the generous support of the Government of Ontario through its International Cultural Initiatives Fund and Canada Council for the Arts which last year invested $17.1 million in visual arts throughout Canada.
Additional support is generously provided by Art Toronto, AXA Insurance, Toronto Arts Foundation, Donoahue Design, Diane Dussault & Associates, Klaus by Nienkamper, and PACART.
Art Dealers Association of Canada Supports Government of Canada's reintroduction of the Copyright Modernization Act
September 29, 2011
Toronto, Ontario, September 29, 2011
The Art Dealers Association of Canada (ADAC) has learned that Minister of Industry, Christian Paradis, and Canadian Heritage Minister, James Moore, have today re-introduced amendments to the Copyright Act in the House of Commons.
First introduced in June 2010, Bill C32 and its amendments have been the subject of a Legislative Committee review. A series of consultations took place early in 2011 to hear recommendations from stakeholders, including the ADAC, to ensure a fair and balanced approach to copyright legislation. The Bill died on the order paper when Parliament was dissolved in March this year. The ADAC is pleased that this legislation has been re-introduced.
The Art Dealers Association of Canada supports this important and modern legislation, which balances the rights of copyright owners with public access to material and brings Canada’s Copyright Act up-to-date with the advances of the digital age.
The Art Dealers Association of Canada is the national not-for-profit organization that provides a professional platform for commercial galleries. The association undertakes vital programming and professional development initiatives aimed at building national and international profiles for Canadian commercial galleries, specifically, and around the Canadian art market in general.
For additional information contact:
Elizabeth Edwards, Manager
416-934-1583
elizabeth@ad-ac.ca
Art Dealers Association of Canada Attends Visual Arts Alliance Colloquium in Kingston
September 15, 2011
The Art Dealers Association of Canada is pleased to announce their participation in the upcoming colloquium Re-visioning the Visual Arts, hosted by the Visual Arts Alliance from September 16th to 18th, 2011 in Kingston, Ontario. The ADAC President Jeanette Langmann and Directors Pat Feheley and Émilie Grandmont Bérubé will be representing the Association at this seminal event. The colloquium will bring together 60 invited leaders from varied disciplines and sectors to investigate the long term future of the visual arts in Canada and develop a process that will help the arts sector as a whole work together towards that vision over the coming years. The colloquium, which commemorates the spirit of the Conference of Canadian Artists held in Kingston in 1941, will examine the visual arts today in terms of “public engagement” and explore how the visual arts can be better integrated into both the Canadian economy and society as a whole.
The Visual Arts Alliance is an association of national visual arts service organizations comprised of artists, curators, art museums, artist-run centres, educators and art dealers. Alliance members work together to support and advise one another on issues affecting the various constituencies they represent and provide a unified voice to improve the well-being of the visual arts in Canada.
The ADAC is one of the key partners in the VAA and has been an essential voice on behalf of art dealers within the Alliance for a number of years. Notably, the ADAC was on the committee for the Visual Arts Alliance’s recently published study “The Visual Arts in Canada: A Synthesis and Critical Analysis of the Recent Research,” which is being officially unveiled to the public in Kingston, as well as being on the fundraising and content committee for the colloquium.
The colloquium will begin with a keynote presentation on “The Evolving Role of the Arts in Canada” by Jeff Melanson, Executive Director and Co-CEO, Canada's National Ballet School and soon to be President and CEO of The Banff Centre. Panels and discussions will take place throughout the event covering topics such as “What Drives the Visual Arts?” and “Repositioning the Visual Arts: How do we move forward”. The outcome of the colloquium will be to establish a set of common objectives and priorities and a working process to achieve them. A joint statement of conclusions and resolutions will be disseminated to the public at large.
The opening keynote and panel discussion will be broadcast live on the web for on September 16th from 3:00-4:45p.m. EST. The session can be viewed at the URL: http://streaming.queensu.ca/vmp/html/vaa.html.
For further information on the colloquium, including a detailed programme and press release, or for general information on the objectives and activities of the Visual Art Alliance, please visit their website at http://visualartsvisuels.ca/wp/
Art Dealers Association of Canada at Art Chicago
April 26, 2011
Art Dealers Association of Canada at Art Chicago
Information: Johanna Robinson at 416-934-1583 or johanna@ad-ac.ca.
Art Dealers Association of Canada (ADAC) is pleased to announce its official participation, as part of an exclusive not-for-profit contingent at Art Chicago taking place 29 April to 2 May 2011. The ADAC pavilion is located in The Merchandise Mart at Booth #159. In partnership with Canada Council for the Arts, Government of Ontario, Toronto Arts Foundation and Art Toronto, ADAC will present A Quiet Revolution: Canadian Art Now, a unique program designed to build awareness around Canadian galleries, artists and the art market. An iteration of this initiative was successfully presented at The Armory Show in New York, earlier this year.
The exhibition and public programs are curated by Toronto Arts Foundation Associate Director William Huffman; work has been selected from the results of an open call to the ADAC membership. Working with Art Chicago continues the ADAC mandate of providing promotional and professional development opportunities for its member galleries across Canada.
Participating galleries are: Feheley Fine Arts; Galerie Simon Blais; Galerie Trois Points; Gallery 78; Gallery Gevik; Gallery Moos; Loch Gallery; Lonsdale Gallery; Mayberry Fine Art; Miriam Shiell Fine Art; Newzones; Olga Korper Gallery; Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain; p|m gallery; Roberts Gallery and Sandra Ainsley Gallery.
Participating artists include: Shuvinai Ashoona; George Boileau; Roberta Bondar; Michel Campeau; Amanda Clyne; Scott Everingham; Éliane Excoffier; Irene Frolic; Adad Hannah; Gershon Iskowitz; Joshua Jensen-Nagle; Danielle Lanteigne; William Lazos; Rita Letendre; Stephen May; Amanda McCavour; RFM McInnis; Viktor Mitic; Paul P.; Annie Pootoogook; Amanda Reeves; Jean-Paul Riopelle; Denyse Thomasos; and Andrew Valko.
The following program of talks and walking tours will be presented in conjunction with the exhibition:
Three @ 3 – This daily talk series features cultural professionals who really know the visual art landscape beyond the 49th parallel. After a lively discussion and socializing, participating speakers will conduct a walking tour of Art Chicago.
Friday 29 April at 3pm Patricia Feheley (Feheley Fine Arts) – Canada's Inuit Art Scene
Saturday 30 April at 3pm Powell MacDougall (p|m gallery) – Spotlight on Emerging Canadian Artists at the Fair
Sunday 1 May at 3pm William Huffman (Toronto Arts Foundation) – Canada/Chicago: Visual Arts in Dialogue
Art Dealers Association of Canada is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1966 to provide a professional platform for the determination of ethical standards as they relate to commercial galleries. ADAC also actively lobbies government on issues affecting the visual arts. The association undertakes vital programming and professional development initiatives aimed at building national and international profile for Canadian commercial galleries specifically, and around the Canadian art market in general.
We wish to acknowledge the generous support of the Government of Ontario through its International Cultural Initiatives Fund and Canada Council for the Arts which last year invested $17.1 million in visual arts throughout Canada.
Additional support is generously provided by Art Toronto, AXA Insurance, Canada-U.S. Business Council Chicago, Canadian Women's Club of Chicago, Consulate General of Canada in Chicago, Donoahue Design, Diane Dussault & Associates, Klaus by Nienkamper, PACART and The Toronto Committee of Chicago Sister Cities International.
ADAC at The Armory Show March 2 - 6, 2011
February 23, 2011
Art Dealers Association of Canada at The Armory Show
Information: Johanna Robinson at 416-934-1583 or johanna@ad-ac.ca.
Art Dealers Association of Canada (ADAC) is pleased to announce its official participation, as part of an exclusive not-for-profit contingent at The Armory Show taking place 2 to 6 March 2011. The ADAC pavilion is located in Pier 94 at Booth #1511. In partnership with Canada Council for the Arts, Toronto Arts Foundation and Art Toronto, ADAC will present a uniquely Canadian itinerary of exhibitions, public lectures and art tours. This dynamic program, entitled A Quiet Revolution: Canadian Art Now, is designed to build awareness around Canadian galleries, artists and the art market.
The exhibition and public programs are curated by Toronto Arts Foundation Associate Director William Huffman; work has been selected from the results of an open call to the ADAC membership. Working with The Armory continues the ADAC mandate of providing promotional and professional development opportunities for its member galleries across Canada.
Participating galleries are: Bau-Xi Photo; Diaz Contemporary; Douglas Udell Gallery; Feheley Fine Arts; Galerie Simon Blais; Galerie Trois Points; Gallery 78; Gallery Gevik; Gallery Moos; Jessica Bradley Art + Projects; Kinsman Robinson Galleries; KWT Contemporary; Lonsdale Gallery; Mayberry Fine Art; Miriam Shiell Fine Art; Olga Korper Gallery; Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain; p|m gallery; Roberts Gallery and Sandra Ainsley Gallery. Participating artists include: Keith W. Bentley; Michel Campeau; Dean Dreaver; Scott Everingham; Éliane Excoffier; Brendan Fernandes; Tom Forrestall; Irene Frolic; Osheen Harruthoonyan; Dil Hildebrand; Natalka Husar; William Lazos; John Lennard; Rita Letendre; Amanda MacCavour; Allyson Mitchell; Viktor Mitic; Lauren Nurse; Paul P.; Germaine Pataki-Thériault; Annie Pootoogook; Steven Scott; Chris Shepard; Bewabon Shilling; Max Streicher; Derek Sullivan; Denyse Thomasos; Jutai Toonoo and Andrew Valko.
The following program of public talks and walking tours will be presented in conjunction with the exhibition:
Canadian Art Now – This daily talk series features cultural professionals who really know the visual art landscape beyond the 49th parallel. After a lively discussion over a glass of wine, the participating speakers will conduct a walking tour of The Armory Show.
Thursday 3 March at 5pm
William Huffman (Toronto Arts Foundation) – Canadian Art on the World Stage
Friday 4 March at 5pm
Patricia Feheley (Feheley Fine Arts) – Canada's Aboriginal Art Scene
Saturday 5 March at 5pm
Denise Markonish (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) – Canadian Art at MASS MoCA in 2012
Sunday 6 March at 12pm
François Babineau (Galerie Simon Blais) and Jean-François Belisle (Association des galeries d'art contemporain) – Contemporary Art in Québec
The Expat Effect – Meet a dozen Canuck artists who've taken a serious bite out of the Big Apple! Each day, three emerging talents will meet their public for an informal and interactive discussion – learn about their work, how they got here, the successes enjoyed and challenges overcome. After a lively discussion over a glass of wine, the participating artists will conduct a walking tour of The Armory Show. Please join us in celebrating 12 northern lights on the East River.
Thursday 3 March at 7pm
Shelly Bahl, John Monteith, Reena Katz
Friday 4 March at 7pm
Michael Caines, Mona Saeed Kamal, Inbred Hybrid Collective
Saturday 5 March at 7pm
Kristine Moran, Brendan Fernandes, Jason Gringler
Sunday 6 March at 2pm
Adrienne Reynolds, Emily Stoddart, Tobaron Waxman
Art Dealers Association of Canada is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1966 to provide a professional platform for the determination of ethical standards as they relate to commercial galleries. ADAC also actively lobbies government on issues affecting the visual arts. The association undertakes vital programming and professional development initiatives aimed at building national and international profile for Canadian commercial galleries specifically, and around the Canadian art market in general.
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts which last year invested $17.1 million in visual arts throughout Canada.
Additional support is generously provided by Art Toronto, AXA Insurance, Consulate General of Canada in New York, Donoahue Design, Diane Dussault & Associates, Klaus by Nienkamper and PACART.
Art Dealers Association of Canada at The Armory Show and Art Chicago
February 1, 2011
Toronto (January 2011) -- Art Dealers Association of Canada (ADAC) is pleased to announce its official participation, as part of an exclusive not-for-profit contingent, at two major American art fairs in 2011: from 3 to 6 March at The Armory Show (New York City) and from 29 April to 2 May at Art Chicago. In partnership with both provincial and federal levels of government, ADAC will present a uniquely Canadian itinerary of exhibitions, public lectures and art tours. This dynamic program entitled A Quiet Revolution: Canadian Art Now is designed to build awareness around Canadian galleries, artists and the art market.
“Our association is a crucial mechanism for the promotion of Canadian art to international audiences,” says ADAC Past President Miriam Shiell. “This burgeoning relationship with Armory and Art Chicago represents an important step in broadening the presence of our organization while increasing global access for Canadian commercial galleries.”
The exhibition component of the program is curated by Toronto Arts Foundation Associate Director William Huffman; work will be selected from the results of an open call to the ADAC membership. Working with Armory and Art Chicago continues the ADAC mandate of providing promotional and professional development opportunities for its member galleries across Canada.
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts which last year invested $17.1 million in visual arts throughout Canada.
Art Dealers Association of Canada is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1966 to provide a professional platform for the determination of ethical standards as they relate to commercial galleries. ADAC also actively lobbies government on issues affecting the visual arts. The association undertakes vital programming and professional development initiatives aimed at building national and international profile for Canadian commercial galleries specifically, and around the Canadian art market in general.
The Armory Show and Art Chicago are America\'s leading fine art fairs devoted to the finest modern and contemporary international art. Both have become cultural institutions annually attracting an important visitorship of leading artists, galleries, collectors, critics and curators from across the globe. The fairs are presented by Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI), an organization committed to the continued development and enhancement of its participation in the art world by bringing together some of the top minds in art fairs under one partnership. The MMPI family of art fairs also includes Art Toronto, VOLTA and NEXT.
Arts Champion, Lela Wilson celebrates her 100th Birthday, October 31st
by Jeffrey Spalding
October 31, 2010
Lela Wilson is 100 years young on October 31st. She has devoted a lifetime striving to further the cause of the progressive arts on behalf of our nation as: activist, volunteer, donor, philanthropist, author and all around champion of the arts. Principal among her many acts of generosity, she made a series of donations, now totaling over $616,000, to establish an art acquisition prize, the York Wilson Endowment Award, one of the most impactful and prestigious programs administered by the Canada Council. The outcomes of this splendid award make contributions nationwide; past, present as well as in perpetuity.
Through her many actions over the years, Lela Wilson has promoted awareness of the art of her late husband, R. York Wilson. She serves as an exemplary, commendable model for the expression of persistent devotion and long-term dedication to the memory of an artist’s accomplishments. York Wilson was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy, Ontario Society of Artists, Arts and Letters Club as well as an officer, juror and active participant in numerous prestigious national art societies. Lela, his constant companion, came to the aid of these organizations, their activities, aims and social events as a volunteer in numerous capacities. She was born, 1910, Lela May Miller, in Thornhill, Ontario. Lela has released little information about her own life prior to her meeting with York in 1925 and subsequent marriage in 1933. They travelled, but more importantly, they shared extraordinary life experience; with repeated residence in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Venice; Paris; the Canary Islands and beyond. Lela retains deep reverence for the arts and culture of Asia, which is profoundly reflected in the art of York Wilson.
Following York’s death, Lela initiated a number of extraordinary projects to foster further appreciation of his art. Lela maintains the Wilson home as a veritable museum installation, shrine and living testament to York Wilson’s work. She enthusiastically, affably and knowledgably acts as guide providing a tour of the home, artist’s studio and the retrospective offerings of the art works on view. No idle amateur, Lela established her earned position as an authority concerning the art, attitudes and activities of the period. Lela is a staunch defender of the virtues and attributes of advanced art. She graciously assists visiting scholars, to pursue their self-initiated inquires, questions and studies. Yet, she has not stood patiently on the sidelines simply wishing and hoping that, in due course, full recognition of York Wilson’s career will surely come as consequence of its evident quality and acknowledged historical significance. Lela Wilson tackles the task directly; she is an unabashed advocate. She brings to the enterprise an unparalleled passion, boundless energy coupled with the incomparable benefit of preferential insight provided as consequence of her shared first-hand personal experience of the issues and events.
Lela Wilson created and maintains an extensive website, a template to encourage and record a catalogue raisonné and study source collecting and disseminating information about York Wilson’s career. She lobbies for exhibitions and has consistently been a donor of his art to public collections. She published a biography in 1997, "York Wilson: his life and work, 1907-1984". Ottawa: Carleton University Press, 1997. Her superlative efforts continue unabated to this day.
Needless to say, Lela Wilson has touched numerous lives, well beyond the sphere of visual arts. She is an active fundraiser for charitable groups, hospitals and performing arts organizations. In 1994, Lela Wilson married, former Auditor-General of Ontario and accountant Maxwell Henderson. He passed away two years later.
In 1997, Lela Wilson established the York Wilson Endowment Fund, administered by the Canada Council. The fund establishes a $30,000 acquisition prize that is awarded annually through a juried competition. Public art museums and galleries are the eligible applicants. The funds permit the recipient institution to purchase an outstanding work, adjudged to be a significant original work by a living Canadian painter or sculptor. The purchase must be made either directly from the artist or their authorized commercial gallery representative. The prize is much coveted and has resulted in securing signature works of art for the nation’s art collections. Artists, gallerists, curators and all friends of the arts enjoy the benefit established by this insightful and generous endowment plan.
In recognition of her work as a champion of artist’s rights, in 2002, Lela Wilson was named a member of the Order of Ontario in 2002.
We extend our fondest best wishes and hearty congratulations to Lela Wilson on the occasion of her 100th Birthday. Please visit the exhibition: Extended Vision: The Art of Painter/Muralist R. York Wilson on view at the Sony Centre For The Performing Arts Gallery (1 Front Street East).
It remains on view until July 2011. Curated by Jim Miller, the exhibition presents over 100 original works 1927- 1981 drawn from the private collection of Lela Wilson.
Passing of Mira Godard
September 20, 2010
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Mira Godard.
Born in Bucharest, Romania, Mira Godard studied Art History at the Ecole du Louvre and Physics and Math at the Sorbonne University. She continued her studies in Canada, acquiring a B.Sc. from Concordia University in 1954 and an M.B.A. from McGill University in 1960. In 1959 she purchased the Agnes Lefort Gallery, which at the time, was the gallery of standing for avant-garde artists, such as Paul-Emile Borduas. In 1962 she opened the Mira Godard Gallery and paved the way for Yorkville to be the hub for Canada’s most respected commercial art galleries. She yet again opened a gallery in Calgary in the late 1980s, which played an important role in bringing contemporary art to the West.
Among her many pioneering contributions was the creation of the Art Dealers Association of Canada. A founding member of PADAC, she was the Association’s first President in 1967. This year she finally agreed to accept the Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, having refused to accept it before, feeling her life’s work was not done. The Art Dealers Association of Canada will proceed with the award at the Annual General Meeting in November with great regret and sadness. We honour her memory and contribution, which is incalculable in the development of Canada’s contemporary art market.
Born in 1928, she died on Monday, September 20, 2010 in Toronto.
