Village Squire, 1979-11, Page 35TRAVEL
A coast-to-coast look
at Canada's
art galleries
BY CHRISTINE TREPANIER
There was a time when art galleries were
thought of as places for only the very rich
or very cultured. Not anymore.
While Canadian art galleries are still
dedicated to preserving and interpreting
art, they're also "people places" offering
exhibits that appeal to a wide range of
tastes and interests.
According to Statistics Canada, nearly
four million people pass through Canadian
art galleries every year to study a mosaic of
art forms. from the traditional paintings of
the Old Masters to the modern sculptures
of contemporary artists.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
The Art Gallery of greater Victoria in
British Columbia is considered one of
Canada's finest art galleries. Among its
holdings of Asian art is the Chen King Toh
family memorial collection of Chinese art.
The gallery also boasts a generous cache of
European prints and drawings dating back
to the 1400s.
The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, now
almost a century old, places a heavy
emphasis on the contemporary works of
British Columbia artists. especially those
from Vancouver Island. The gallery is open
year-round and provides guided tours.
lectures. films and musical concerts.
A prestigious collection of Canadian
paintings hangs in another of the
province's galleries, the Vancouver Art
Gallery. An outstanding part of this
collection is the unrivalled holding of works
by Canadian painter Emily Carr (1870-
1945).
ALBERTA
Nestled in the mountain town of Banff,
Alberta. the Peter Whyte Gallery features
the paintings, sculptures and photographs
that tell the story of the rugged Canadian
Rockies.
Further north. in the province's capital
city. the works of western Canadian artists
are highlighted at the Edmonton Art
Gallery. Besides its large display of
Canadian art, ranging from the nineteenth
century works of Cornelius Krieghoff to the
modern paintings of Ken Danby, the
gallery holds a large collection of
international contemporary art.
SASKATCHEWAN
The Legislative Building, in Regina,
Saskatchewan, has four galleries that
detail the history of that province in
paintings and prints. Portraits of Indians
who figured prominently in the province's
history hang in the Assiniboine Gallery,
while pencil sketches of other outstanding
Saskatchewans are featured in the
Athabasca Gallery. The Qu'Appelle
Gallery is set aside for the portraits of
former speakers of the Saskatchewan
legislature. And, in the Saskatchewan
Library, portraits of former provincial
Premiers and Lieutenant Governors -Gen-
eral adorn the walls.
In Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, the Art
Museum is dedicated to a collection of
paintings and artifacts that tell the story of
the Plains Indians. The Museum also
boasts a collection of Sioux and Cree Indian
bead and quill work, various Indian
ceremonial items and a sampling of exotic
edged weapons.
MANITOBA
Winnipeg, Manitoba is a city made up of
many multicultural groups, and the
Winnipeg Art Gallery reflects this cultural
mosaic by offering a diversified program of
ethnic art every year. It is not unusual to
walk into the gallery and discover
Icelandic, Polish, Ukrainian or Chinese art
on display. But, while it strives to
represent the many cultural threads that
make up the fabric of the city, it is a gallery
dedicated chiefly to Canadian art. The
Winnipeg Art Gallery takes pride in
housing the world's largest collection of
Canadian contemporary Inuit prints and
sculptures.
ONTARIO
Two of Canada's major art galleries are
found in Ontario: the Art Gallery of
Ontario. in Toronto; and the National
Gallery of Canada. in Ottawa.
Visitors to the Art Gallery of Ontario are
treated to the second largest collection of
Canadian art in the world, with the
National Gallery being the only institution
to surpass it. The Toronto gallery also
holds the largest collection in the western
hemisphere, of works by the British artist,
Henry Moore.
The National Gallery of Canada is
THE FINEST GIFT
YOU CAN GIVE...
GOLD
SEAFORTH
JEWELLERS
Main St., Seaforth
Phone 527-0270
The
Clothes Line
of
Listowel
127 Main St. W.
291-4390
For her
gift
WE GIFT WRAP
(
November 1979, Village Squire 33