The Canada Council Art Bank

There are all kinds of banks out there; blood banks, organ and tissue banks, financial banks. So, it stands to reason, I guess, that there is a national art bank maintained by the Canada Council for the Arts.

The size of this bank is rather surprising. They have some 12,000 works consisting of Canadian paintings, sculpture and other works. And, the bank is some 40 years old.

The art bank is part of the federal purse, and there are times when its clasps are rather rusty and hard to open. And, its not without some political manipulation.
For instance, a work by Jean-Paule Riopelle was removed from the walls of the PM's Sussex Street home. But this is neither here nor there, for I don't have any abstractions hanging on the walls of my home. So, it was more then likely a matter of artistic preference. But, even worse is the fact that the butget for the art bank was almost eliminated by the Federal Liberals during a budget cutting period, and the Tories reduced the size of their budget by 50%.

That being said, pictures from the national collection, hang in the offices of our members of parlaiment and in public buildings and the bank serves an important archival and public role in preserving and presenting our country's visual arts.


Canada Council Art Bank: new acquisitions

Barry Ace, Ottawa, ON
Cashing In
Benoit Aquin, Montreal, QC
Sans titre
Arnaqu Ashevak, Cape Dorset, NU
Woman with Bear Cub
Miguel-Angel Berlanga, Ottawa, ON
La connaissance de la nature profonde de la pierre est le fondement même de la sagesse
BGL, Quebec, QC
Villa des Regrets
Kristin Bjornerud, Saskatoon, SK
Encounter with the Bear
Shary Boyle, Toronto, ON
Untitled
Paul Bureau, Montreal, QC,
Passage 12/13/14
Brian Burke, York, PE
Room No. 168
Paul Butler, Winnipeg, MB
Winnipeg without the Jets
Christine Carty, Masset, BC
Cedar Hat
Dana Claxton, Vancouver, BC
Tatanka Wanbli Chekpa Wicincala
Sébastien Cliche, Montreal, QC
Dans la solitude il n'y a pas de trahison
Catherine Collins, Winnipeg, MB
The Core (Salvation, Cold Beer, Hot Soup)
Robin Collyer, Toronto, ON
Regents Park
Carole Condé & Karl Beveridge, Toronto, ON
Not a Care, 1400
Marlene Creates, Portugal Cove, NL
Wind Gusts, Falling Rock, Alberta 2000
Michel Daigneault, Toronto, ON
Au Cœur des Choses
Chris Dorosz, San Francisco, CA
Stasis Series #9
Keesic Douglas, Toronto, ON
Product of Canada
William Eakin, Winnipeg, MB
Space (6034)
Joe Fafard, Lumsden, SK
Nicola 1/5
David Ferguson, L'Amble, ON
The last day of the Muskokas
Randall Finnerty, Montreal, QC
Wounded Moose
Adrian Fish, Halifax, NS
Stage 1-3
Jérôme Fortin, Montreal, QC
Untitled #6 from the “Screen” series
Daphne Gerou, Toronto, ON
We Are Betrayed
Lorraine Gilbert, Ottawa, ON
Here, There, Everywhere, from: Icelandic Walks, 2005
Greg Girard, Shanghai, China
Huashan Lu House #1
Sky Glabush, Edmonton, AB
Consultation
Jim Graham, Saskatoon, SK
Darth
Colwyn Griffith, New York, NY
Northern Lights
Toni Hafkenscheid, Toronto, ON
Alex Fraser Bridge
Marla Hlady, Toronto, ON
Proposition for Tracing a Conversation
James Hart, Massett, BC
“Sister” - Bear Mother & Twins
Greg A. Hill, Ottawa, ON
Post-card from Kanata
Richard Hines, Halifax, NS
Sliced Apple
Simon Hughes, Winnipeg, MB
Modular Ice-Fishing Tower
Pedro Isztin, Ottawa, ON
Nueva Armenia II, Honduras
Lizzie Ittinuar, Rankin Inlet, NU
Map of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut
Joanne Jackson Johnson, Whitehorse, YT
Air Show Whitehorse Airport 2005 Looking East
David Janzen, Edmonton, AB
Churchill Square Cameras
Marie Lannoo, Saskatoon, SK
Extruded Light #2
Manuel Lau, Montreal, QC
Le chat rouge et chiens jaunes
Bonnie Marin, Winnipeg, MB
Golden Boy
Anne McElroy, Saskatoon, SK
Off Centre
Peter McFarlane, Salt Spring Island, BC
The Messengers
Shawna McLeod, Montreal, QC
LFU 1
David Merritt, London, ON
Untitled (Heart Breaker)
Laura Millard, London, ON
Lac Des Arc: Skate II
Lauren Nurse, Montreal, QC
The Death of Love
Caroline Ouellette, Sainte-Julie, QC
Chardon
Roberto Pellegrinuzzi, Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, QC
Éléments Pour un Paysage (Arbre Bic)
Annie Pootoogook, Cape Dorset, NU
Series of Three Interiors
Michèle Provost, Gatineau, QC
Lou Reed - Perfect Day, from the Series “It's Only Rock and Roll”
William Pura, Stonewall, MB
Esker 2
Joshua Radu, Laval, QC
138 en Charlevoix
Joseph Reyes, Winnipeg, MB
Untitled
Paul Robles, Winnipeg, MB
My Beautiful War (triptych)
Larry Rosso, Vancouver, BC
Salmon Ovoid Panel
Jayce Salloum, Vancouver, BC
Sylvia's shop, cabinet, previous wares holding their own, Main St. (Cordova)
Amanda Schoppel, Davis, CA
Lined Paper
Karen Schulz, Winnipeg, MB
to be continued
Pat Service, Vancouver, BC
Summer Lake V (Flags)
Jaclyn Shoub, Toronto, ON
At This Point in Time (Landscape w. Trees - Large Version)
Gerald Steadman Smith, Stittsville, ON
Andrea Conroy
Steven Stewart, Ottawa, ON
Elementary School Gym
Derek Sullivan, Toronto, ON
Untitled
Moy Sutherland, Victoria, BC
Barnacle Paddle
Jeff Thomas, Ottawa, ON
North American (Indian)
Denyse Thomasos, New York, NY
Dwelling-Well
Larry Towell, Bothwell, ON
Rafah Refugee Camp, Gaza Strip
(residents returning to their destroyed homes after Israeli invasion)
Henri Venne, Montreal, QC
One Last Time Before It Ends
Stephen Waddell, Berlin, Germany
Asphalt Layer #2
Carol Wainio, Ottawa, On
Decoding Rabbit
Carrie Walker, Vancouver, BC
Grey Squirrel, (Sciurus carolinensis) A bemused grey squirrel
Douglas Walker, Toronto, ON
Untitled #764
Eric Walker, Ottawa, ON
Dans le cœur de Montréal
Adrian Williams, Montreal, QC
Listen


Information for this entry was drawn from 'Politicians Have Access to Inventory of Canadian Art.', Toronto Star. Please click here.

The list of recently acquired Canadian Art, can be found on the
Canada Council for the Arts, website. Please click here.