A Season of Firsts at the National Gallery of Canada

August 21, 2018

Highlights include:

• Anthropocene, the new multimedia exhibition by Edward Burtynsky, Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier, launches the fall season at the Gallery
• Canada’s first exhibition of Paul Klee in nearly four decades opens November 16
• A groundbreaking exhibition of works by the “father of art photography”, Oscar G. Rejlander, begins its international tour in Ottawa

For the first time in Canada since 1979, the National Gallery of Canada will present an exhibition of Paul Klee’s paintings and drawings. Also new this fall, the Gallery will organize the first retrospective of Victorian photographic pioneer Oscar G. Rejlander. Another first is the use of augmented reality in the Anthropocene exhibition, offering visitors a multi-sensory experience that will enhance their learning.

“We wished to strike a good balance in the exhibitions that the National Gallery of Canada will present this fall. While some invite us to enjoy the pioneering brilliance of historical figures, others provide hard evidence that human agency has transformed our planet,” said Director and CEO Marc Mayer. “Widely celebrated artist Edward Burtynsky, and equally admired filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier, for example, will launch a new collaboration with visually arresting and indeed alarming works that are unlike anything we have ever exhibited at the Gallery.”

Anthropocene, the new multimedia exhibition by renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky and multiple award-winning filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier, launches the Gallery’s fall season on September 28, 2018. The exhibition presents striking, and sometimes disturbing, images of human-altered landscapes that the artists have encountered during their cross-continental travels. Photographs, films, HiRes murals, installations and Augmented Reality components shine light on these dramatic transformations, demonstrating through art the scale and gravity of humanity’s collective impact on the planet. On view until February 24, 2019, Anthropocene is organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and the Canadian Photography Institute of the National Gallery of Canada (CPI), in partnership with Fondazione MAST. It is generously supported by Scotiabank in partnership with Telus. A parallel exhibition will be on view simultaneously at the AGO. While certain key works are featured in both venues, each exhibition offers a rich and distinct experience. To find out more.

From October 3, 2018 to February 10, 2019, the works of the five finalists of the 2018 Sobey Art Award – Canada’s prestigious contemporary art prize that recognizes and supports young artists from across the country – will be presented in a group exhibition. Selected from a longlist of 25 nominees by a panel of jurors (five Canadian and one international), this year’s finalists – comprised of Jordan Bennett (Atlantic), Jon Rafman (Quebec), Kapwani Kiwanga (Ontario), Joi T. Arcand (Prairies and the North) and Jeneen Frei Njootli (West Coast and the Yukon) – present work that is at the forefront of contemporary Canadian art. The $100,000 first prize winner will be announced at a gala at the Gallery on November 14, 2018. The 2018 Sobey Art Award Exhibition is organized by the Gallery and the Sobey Art Foundation. To find out more.

In the European and American Galleries, visitors will be able to experience a special Masterpiece in Focus exhibition that commemorates the 100^th anniversary of the end of the First World War. Halifax Harbour 1918 examines Harold Gilman (1876–1919, British) and Arthur Lismer’s (1885–1969, Canadian) shared efforts to record the port of Halifax under the commission of the Canadian War Memorials Fund. Sketches, drawings and paintings are presented in conversation with Gilman’s monumental canvas Halifax Harbour (1918), revealing the artists’ meticulous and painstaking approach to their shared mission. The exhibition runs from October 12, 2018 until March 17, 2019 before travelling to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax. To find out more.

The Canadian Photography Institute (CPI) of the National Gallery of Canada presents the first major retrospective of pioneering Victorian art photographer Oscar G. Rejlander. Oscar G. Rejlander: Artist Photographer features approximately 140 works by the artist who excelled at combination printing and pioneered a photographic aesthetic that caught the attention of prominent figures including Lewis Carroll and Charles Darwin. The exhibition, which runs from October 19, 2018 to February 3, 2019 before travelling to the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, presents, for the first time, many of the artist’s best known photographs alongside a selection of his early landscapes, portraits and studies. To find out more.

Also on view at CPI is PhotoLab 5: L’arbre est dans ses feuilles, a two-channel video installation by Vancouver-based artist and filmmaker Althea Thauberger inspired by her investigation into the archival collection of the National Film Board of Canada’s Still Photography Division. This impressive collection, now held by CPI, includes thousands of negatives by leading Canadian photographers working between the 1960s and 1980s.  Thauberger’s project, which was originally commissioned for the exhibition In Search of Expo 67, is comprised of a 30-minute video accompanied by descriptive library catalogue cards and framed works that inspire critical thinking on history, the archives, and relations between the individual, community and nation. On view from October 19, 2018 to February 3, 2018.

Paul Klee: The Berggruen Collection from the Metropolitan Museum of Art presents 75 works by the Swiss-German draftsman and painter, which were gifted to the Met by renowned art dealer and collector Heinz Berggruen in 1984. The first exhibition of Klee’s work in nearly four decades will provide a full survey of the artist’s prolific career spanning from his student days in Bern and his teaching years at the Bauhaus to his late production in Switzerland. The selection of paintings, watercolours and drawings are representative of Klee’s artistic output and highlight his stature as one of the most versatile artists of the twentieth century. The exhibition opens November 16, 2018 and runs until March 17, 2019 in the Special Exhibitions Galleries. To find out more.

The Gallery has organized a variety of activities that complement the new exhibitions and the national collection including talks and tours with artists, experts and curators. Check the Gallery website for full details and a calendar of events.

Guided Tours for Adults

Guided thematic tours are available by reservation starting August 27, 2018. Art in Canada will explore the notable stories behind Canadian and Indigenous masterpieces, while The Colour Tour will consider the history and evolution of particular colours in the European and International collections. Tours will also be offered in conjunction with three special exhibitions: Anthropocene, Oscar G. Rejlander: Artist Photographer and Paul Klee: The Berggruen Collection from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. To find out more.

Back to School

School programs at the Gallery support provincial art curricula. Beginning October 1, 2018, students can learn about human-altered landscapes in a discovery visit to the Anthropocene exhibition. From 30 October, the guided tour Oscar G. Rejlander: Artist Photographer will invite students to discover this artist who is often referred to as the “father of art photography.” Registration for school programs begins August 27, 2018. To find out more.

Family Fun

Designed for families with children ages 12 and under, Family Sundays help young visitors experience the Gallery’s national collection through fun, interactive and creative activities. Family Sundays run from 10 am to 4 pm on select Sundays and are free with Gallery admission. The first event of the season, scheduled for September 30, 2018, falls on a nationally recognized Culture Day. Admission to the Gallery will be free. Children ages 3 and up accompanied by an adult can visit the Artissimo kiosk from 10 am to 4 pm on weekends, holiday Mondays, and over the Christmas and March breaks. Located in the Scotiabank Great Hall, the kiosk offers a host of discovery activities that encourage children to look closely at and engage with art. The Artissimo Studio also returns this October. On weekends and holidays, families can have fun making art in our studio. Supplies and smocks are provided. To find out more.

Programming and Special Events

This fall, the Gallery continues its highly successful partnership with the Toronto International Film Festival by bringing Canadian and international films to the National Capital Region through Film Circuit, TIFF’s film outreach program. Meet the Expert sessions will also return this fall, as will Creative Thursdays and the NGC Lecture Series. On December 6, the Gallery will welcome visitors to its annual Tree Lighting Ceremony in the Scotiabank Great Hall. A beloved tradition that celebrates the beginning of the holiday season, the event will feature activities for friends and families alike.

For full details on all scheduled events, visit the What’s On section on the Gallery website.

Hours of operation

From 1 May to 30 September, 2018, the Gallery is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm, and on Thursdays from 10 am to 8 pm. From October 1, 2018, to April 30, 2019, the Gallery is closed on Mondays, and opened from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 am to 5 pm, and on Thursdays, from 10 am to 8 pm. Holiday exceptions apply, and hours are subject to change without notice. Please visit gallery.ca for more information. For more information, visit gallery.ca.

Admission

Tickets: $15 (adults); $13 (seniors); $7 (age 24 and under and full-time students); $30 (families: two adults and three youth, 17 and under). Admission is free for children under the age of 11 and for Members. Includes admission to the national collection, and all exhibitions excluding Impressionist Treasures. Free admission on Thursdays from 5 pm to 8 pm. To find out more.

Boutique

Exhibitions catalogues are on sale at the Boutique, allowing visitors to revisit their favorite works of art for years to come. Also available online at ShopNGC.ca. Opens at 10 am daily. 15% off for Members.

NGC Magazine

NGCmagazine.ca is a beautifully illustrated online source of information about the Canadian and international art world, and the National Gallery of Canada’s activities and programming. This online magazine includes articles about upcoming and travelling exhibitions, behind the scenes features, artists’ profiles, book reviews and interviews.  NGC Magazine is free and published here. Subscribe to the NGC Magazine newsletter here.

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About the National Gallery of Canada

The National Gallery of Canada is home to the most important collections of historical and contemporary Canadian art. The Gallery also maintains Canada’s premier collection of European Art from the 14th to the 21st centuries, as well as important works of American, Asian and Indigenous Art and renowned international collections of prints, drawings and photographs. In 2015, the National Gallery of Canada established the Canadian Photography Institute, a global multidisciplinary research center dedicated to the history, evolution and future of photography. Created in 1880, the National Gallery of Canada has played a key role in Canadian culture for well over a century. Among its principal missions is to increase access to excellent works of art for all Canadians. For more information, visit gallery.ca and follow us on Twitter @NatGalleryCan

About the Canadian Photography Institute of the National Gallery of Canada
The Canadian Photography Institute (CPI) is a national research and exhibition centre of excellence devoted to photography. The Institute was established in 2015 and officially launched in October 2016. Its collections build upon the National Gallery’s Photographs Collection, with the unprecedented support of CPI’s Founding Partner Scotiabank, the Archive of Modern Conflict and the National Gallery of Canada Foundation. More information about the Canadian Photography Institute can be found on the Gallery’s website: gallery.ca/cpi

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For more information, please contact:

Josée-Britanie Mallet
Senior Media and Public Relations Officer
National Gallery of Canada
613.990.6835
bmallet@gallery.ca

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