Welcome from Kathleen Bartels, Director of the Vancouver Art Gallery

Photo: Alex Waterhouse-Hayward

Vancouver is one of the most vibrant, progressive cities in the world and I believe the Vancouver Art Gallery has a responsibility to reflect this wealth of creativity and dynamic energy.

The Gallery stands in the centre of a city recognized as a nurturing ground for artistic talent. Through cutting-edge exhibitions, we feature the work of leaders in the field of contemporary art and Vancouver's own internationally renowned artists, including Jeff Wall, Ian Wallace, Stan Douglas, Rodney Graham, Roy Arden and Brian Jungen, serving as a portal for their remarkable achievements while furthering British Columbia's artistic legacy. The Gallery also houses the magnificent works of significant historical artists, including the most extensive collection of the work of Canada's beloved Emily Carr. Our permanent holdings number more than 10,000 artworks, making the Gallery among the most important collections in Canada.

The Vancouver Art Gallery’s 2012 exhibition schedule begins with a look back in Lights Out! Canadian Painting from the 1960s and the here and now as presented in Beat Nation: Art, Hip Hop and Aboriginal Culture, featuring compelling works in traditional and non-traditional media that reflect the changing demographics of Aboriginal people today. This summer, the Gallery is proud to be the sole Canadian presenter of the internationally touring exhibition Matisse and Modern Masters: The Cone Sisters of Baltimore, featuring nearly 50 spectacular paintings, sculptures and drawings from one of the world’s finest collections of early European Modernism. The year concludes with a major survey of one of Vancouver’s seminal contemporary artists, Ian Wallace. These and other exhibitions in our 2012 program exemplify the compelling blend of contemporary and historic presentations that have become the Vancouver Art Gallery’s signature. At the same time, our diverse range of educational and public programs serving adults, children and families provide meaningful encounters with art through lectures, tours, artist talks and special events.

I hope you will enjoy your visit to the Vancouver Art Gallery in our 81st year of bringing the best of the world to Vancouver, and the best of Vancouver to the world.

Kathleen S. Bartels
Director