National Gallery of Canada sets up shop at the Winnipeg Art Gallery

I think it will be great for our audience. It's a huge draw to see these works that are getting such a buzz in Ottawa.

—Helen Delacretaz, WAG chief curator

The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) has announced a new partnership with the National Gallery of Canada (NGC). The three-year agreement means Winnipeggers will have the chance to see acclaimed artworks by internationally renowned artists.

"The NGC collection is not just for those in Ottawa to enjoy," explains Helen Delacretaz, chief curator at the WAG. "It should have national exposure."

She is excited to have the satellite here at the WAG. "I think it will be great for our audience. It's a huge draw to see these works that are getting such a buzz in Ottawa."

The works will be displayed in a dedicated space called The National Gallery of Canada at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
  
The first work, to be featured in January, 2013, is a sound installation by Janet Cardiff called Forty-Part Motet. It is a re-working of a choral work by 16th-century composer Thomas Tallis called Spem in Alium and features 40 speakers place around the gallery. "It's quite immersive," says Delacretaz. "You feel like you're embedded within the choir, not an audience member viewing it."
 

From May to September, 20 major sculptures and drawings by Louise Bourgeois will be on display and next fall, an installation called The Clock by Christian Marclay pays homage to a century of cinema. 

This agreement with the NGC coincides with the WAG's 100th anniversary festivities. The NGC has previously entered into similar partnerships with the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art in Toronto and the Art Gallery of Alberta.

"We already bring in world class art to Winnipeg through the WAG," says Delacretaz. "This just broadens our opportunity further to do even more."