The National Gallery of Canada receives $2M gift for Canada 150th
Press Release
June 15, 2017
Garden Court in Newly Unveiled Canadian and Indigenous Galleries Named in Honour of Donors
The National Gallery of Canada today announced a gift of $2 million from Fred and Elizabeth Fountain of Halifax, Nova Scotia, in celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday.
$500,000 is earmarked for the Gallery’s National Outreach program. Through this program, the Gallery can better share the experience of great visual arts coast-to-coast-to-coast. The remainder of the funds from the gift will go to the Gallery’s Art for the Nation 150 priority initiatives including over $1 million into the General Endowment at the National Gallery of Canada Foundation, providing enhanced support to the Gallery’s art programming and its ambitious engagement as a pre-eminent art museum.
National Gallery of Canada Director and CEO, Marc Mayer, said, “This remarkably generous gift by the Fountains will make a real impact on the Gallery, in particular our ability to reach out beyond the National Capital Region and showcase our expertise, exhibitions and programming to more Canadians than ever. We feel privileged to have one of our public spaces carry their names.”
In recognition of the Fountains’ gift, the National Gallery of Canada will name the garden court, within the recently unveiled Canadian and Indigenous Galleries, the Jardin FRED & ELIZABETH FOUNTAIN Garden Court.
“We are pleased to add our names to the stunning Garden Court as it’s a space we’ve greatly enjoyed and admired over the years,” said the Fountains. “Since we’ve contemplated a special gift to the National Gallery for some time, the opportunity to connect this initiative with Canada’s 150th was particularly important to us.”
Fred Fountain is a Canadian lawyer, businessperson and philanthropist, based in Halifax. He is President and CEO of Great Eastern Corporation Limited, an investment company that was founded in 1941 by his legendary grandfather, Frederick C. Manning. He was a Member of the Board of Trustees of the National Gallery of Canada (2005-2012) and has been a Director of the Board of the National Gallery of Canada Foundation since 2009. Fred and Elizabeth Fountain are Distinguished Patrons of the National Gallery of Canada and have been major supporters of the Gallery’s acquisitions and programming for many years.
“Fred and Elizabeth Fountain are great Canadian philanthropists,” said Thomas d’Aquino, Chair of the National Gallery of Canada Foundation. “Their generosity is a wonderful gift to the nation, especially as our country celebrates its 150th anniversary of Confederation. We feel privileged to have our Distinguished Patrons step forward in this way, and for another of the Gallery’s great public spaces to carry their names.”
Currently undergoing a redesign by renowned Canadian landscape architect and original designer of the space, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, in conjunction with Bryce Gauthier of Enns Gauthier Landscape Architects, the Jardin FRED & ELIZABETH FOUNTAIN Garden Court will be completed in January, 2018. The new design will reflect the verdant Canadian landscape.
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 centre 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 National Gallery of Canada Foundation
The National Gallery of Canada Foundation is dedicated to supporting the National Gallery of Canada in fulfilling its mandate. By fostering strong philanthropic partnerships, the Foundation provides the Gallery with the additional financial support required to lead Canada’s visual arts community locally, nationally, and internationally. The blend of public support and private philanthropy empowers the Gallery to preserve and interpret Canada’s visual arts heritage. The Foundation welcomes present and deferred gifts for special projects and endowments. To learn more about the National Gallery of Canada Foundation, visit ngcfoundation.ca
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