Experience art in Canada like never before.
Opened to critical acclaim in June of 2017, the Canadian and Indigenous Galleries present a new way to view the cultural riches of this land.
In these transformed Galleries, the parallel and, at times, interrelated stories of Canadian and Indigenous art in Canada are brought together in one unforgettable display of masterpieces. Almost 800 paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, silver, and decorative art objects from across Canada are on view, dating from 5,000 years ago to 1967.
Visitors can rediscover iconic artworks from the national collection – many of which have been recently restored – or find a new favourite among the objects featured here for the first time. There are 225 additional works to see in the reconfigured Galleries, including recent acquisitions by artists such as A.Y. Jackson, Lawren S. Harris, George T. Berthon, Ruben Komangapik, Tim Pitsiulak, and Emily Carr, among others. Also on view is an impressive selection of objects on temporary loan: among them, close to 100 stunning works by Indigenous artists.
With more open spaces, bold wall colours and airy display cases, the transformed Canadian and Indigenous Galleries are inviting and inspiring. Plan your visit today.
Exhibition
Canadian and Indigenous Art
Location
National Gallery of Canada
Canadian and Indigenous Galleries
380 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, ON K1N 9N4
CanadaGallery Highlights
The new Canadian and Indigenous Galleries are located in rooms A101 to A116.
Three caribou hides were used to make this Ceremonial Coat by an unknown Naskapi artist (c. 1840). The designs were applied using tools made of bone and antler. The thread, glass beads, wool and synthetic paints were obtained from European traders.
The Croscup Room, as it is now known, was the main room of a house in Karsdale, Nova Scotia. Somewhere around 1846–1848, its walls were painted by an unidentified artist for shipbuilder William Croscup and his family.
This gallery features a monographic presentation on Emily Carr. Nearby, a display of footwear on loan from the Bata Shoe Museum highlights the skilled beadwork of Indigenous women artists, including Dogrib artist Margaret Football, Joan Elise Tsetso of the Fort Simpson Band, and Joyce Growing Thunder Fogarty of the Assiniboine Sioux.
Designed by diocesan architect Canon Georges Bouillon in 1887, this heritage treasure was fully reconstructed inside the National Gallery of Canada in 1988. The brilliant sound sculpture you hear is Forty-Part Motet, a 2001 work by artist Janet Cardiff.
We are rearticulating our perspective on artmaking and providing a more comprehensive display of Canadian excellence in art created by a range of artists, notably women, Indigenous artists, Canadians of non-European descent, photographers, and video artists. We are adapting the story of Canadian art to suit the needs of our own time.
– Marc Mayer, Director and CEO, National Gallery of Canada
Artwork
Kenojuak Ashevak, Complex of Birds, 1960, stonecut in black and blue green on laid paper, 61 x 66 cm; image: 45.3 x 55.8 cm. Photo: NGC
Kenojuak Ashevak
Complex of Birds
Kenojuak Ashevak, Complex of Birds, 1960, stonecut in black and blue green on laid paper, 61 x 66 cm; image: 45.3 x 55.8 cm. Photo: NGC
Joyce Wieland, Cooling Room II, 1964, metal toy airplane, cloth, metal wire, plastic boat, paper collage, ceramic cups with lipstick, and spoon, mounted in painted wooden case, 114.4 x 94 x 18.3 cm. Photo: NGC
Joyce Wieland
Cooling Room II
Joyce Wieland, Cooling Room II, 1964, metal toy airplane, cloth, metal wire, plastic boat, paper collage, ceramic cups with lipstick, and spoon, mounted in painted wooden case, 114.4 x 94 x 18.3 cm. Photo: NGC
Karoo Ashevak, Figure, 1974, whalebone and black stone (?), 41 x 44.2 x 10.5 cm. Gift of the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, 1989 (Gift of John and Judy McGrath, 1984). © Public Trustee for Nunavut, Estate of Karoo Ashevak. Photo: NGC
Karoo Ashevak
Figure
Karoo Ashevak, Figure, 1974, whalebone and black stone (?), 41 x 44.2 x 10.5 cm. Gift of the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, 1989 (Gift of John and Judy McGrath, 1984). © Public Trustee for Nunavut, Estate of Karoo Ashevak. Photo: NGC
Naskapi(?) Artist, Ceremonial Coat, c. 1840, caribou hide, paint, thread, wool and glass beads, overall measurements on mannequin: 95 x 80 x 50 cm. NGC
Naskapi Artist
Ceremonial Coat
Naskapi(?) Artist, Ceremonial Coat, c. 1840, caribou hide, paint, thread, wool and glass beads, overall measurements on mannequin: 95 x 80 x 50 cm. NGC
Prudence Heward, Rollande, 1929, oil on canvas, 139.9 x 101.7 cm. Photo: NGC
Prudence Heward
Rollande
Prudence Heward, Rollande, 1929, oil on canvas, 139.9 x 101.7 cm. Photo: NGC
Cornelius Krieghoff, The Saint Anne Falls, 1855, oil on canvas, 40 x 48.6 cm. Photo: NGC
Cornelius Krieghoff
The Saint Anne Falls
Cornelius Krieghoff, The Saint Anne Falls, 1855, oil on canvas, 40 x 48.6 cm. Photo: NGC
James Wilson Morrice, Blanche Baume, c. 1911-1912, oil on canvas, 61.2 x 50.5 cm. Photo: NGC
James Wilson Morrice
Blanche Baume
James Wilson Morrice, Blanche Baume, c. 1911-1912, oil on canvas, 61.2 x 50.5 cm. Photo: NGC
Emily Carr, Blunden Harbour, c. 1930, oil on canvas, 129.8 x 93.6 cm. Photo: NGC
Emily Carr
Blunden Harbour
Emily Carr, Blunden Harbour, c. 1930, oil on canvas, 129.8 x 93.6 cm. Photo: NGC
At Canada’s National Gallery we are sharing more of those stories than ever before – from the beginning of human time to the present day – in our commitment to exhibiting and preserving works of outstanding significance, works that tell our stories beautifully.
– Marc Mayer, Director and CEO, National Gallery of Canada
Did you know?
The Gallery has put women artists at the centre of several displays in the Canadian and Indigenous Galleries. Discover a few fast facts in these short videos.
In the News
"What a revelation to see the Woodlands School, represented by Norval Morrisseau’s Artist and Shaman Between Two Worlds, hung alongside the work of London, Ont., artists Jack Chambers and Greg Curnoe, including Curnoe’s colourful View of Victoria Hospital, Second Series."
The Globe and Mail
"…the exhibition is, like the nation itself, too vast and diverse to be grasped in one visit, for this history is written by many authors in multiple languages, and the story it tells is grand and sweeping."
Artsfile.ca
Related
Esther remembers vividly the day her artist mother, Christiane Pflug, painted her portrait in the open doorway of their Toronto home.
July 19, 2018
Lawren Harris’s urban scenes played a key role in his exploration of the role of art in the transformations of Canadian society.
June 28, 2018
Welcoming ceremonies are an important way to recognize that many historic art objects are considered as having a spirit or as ancestors.
June 21, 2018
