2022 Acquisitions: Donations

Focused on the work of historical and contemporary artists who have contributed to the artistic life of the Ottawa-Gatineau region, our Permanent Collection is an essential part of the OAG’s activities. We are excited to look back and share a roundup of our 2022 donations, and the ways in which these works help to enrich our Collection.

We’re excited to share that the OAG acquired a number of works through generous donations over the course of the last year.

In 2022, a selection of works by artist Max Dean wrapped up a significant five-year donation to complete a representative record of his career in the Gallery’s holdings, while six installation works from artist Chantal Dahan – previously presented as a whole in the OAG’s 2001 exhibition The Dahan Bunch: Perdus dans l’espace – strengthened our holdings of installation work.

A dynamic large-scale work by new media and sound artist Darsha Hewitt further added to our collection. Thanks to our Board Chair, Mark Schaan, we were able to acquire a sculpture by multidisciplinary artist Michael Belmore. His work Remnant is a wampum belt made of copper and aluminum beads, and is the first of his works to enter the collection. The gift of 19 works by ceramicist Mimi Cabri, as well as two sculptural maquettes by Art Price, further enriched our sculptural holdings in 2022.

Artworks by four Ottawa artists, James Boyd, Georges de Niverville, Victor Tolgesy, and Fran Jones, were also generously donated by collector Denise Trottier, adding to the representation of local artists. A selection of these pieces, created in the 1960s and 1970s, will be on display in the OAG’s upcoming 2023 exhibition, Reference Point: Recent Historical Acquisitions.

Finally, a textile installation exploring the fragility and the fallibility of memory by artist Carl Stewart, a signature zebra painting by local artist Diane Woodward, and an oil portrait by Robert S. Hyndman, also joined the OAG’s collection, while our collection of photography was enriched with two donations of photographic work by Geneviève Thauvette, and a photograph by Tony Fouhse.

The OAG would like to thank artists Mimi Cabri, Chantal Dahan, Max Dean, Carl Stewart, Diane Woodward, as well as donors Andrew Balfour and Barbara Steele, Meriel Bradford, Mela Constantinidi, Rene Price, Mark Schaan, Jennifer Campbell and Peter Simpson, and Denise Trottier for their generous donations.