NEW ART: Thomson Collection
Mr. Ken Thomson’s gift of his art collection – the most significant private art collection in Canada – will add 2,000 outstanding works to the Art Gallery of Ontario.
The collection features signature works by Canadian artists from the 19th to mid-20th century, with 300 works from the Group of Seven and Tom Thomson. The collection also includes more than 200 paintings by the 19th century artist Cornelius Krieghoff and 182 works by the early 20th century luminary David Milne – as well as key paintings by Paul Kane, Paul-Emile Borduas and Jean-Paul Riopelle.
The Thomson gift of European art includes a decorative arts collection of more than 500 objects, including the legendary 12th-century Malmesbury châsse, an extraordinary selection of Baroque ivories, and a distinguished group of portrait miniatures dating from 1550 to 1850. The gift also includes a compelling collection of French and British ship models from the Napoleonic era to the 19th century.
The highlight of the Thomson collection of European art is the 17th century masterpiece by Peter Paul Rubens, The Massacre of the Innocents.
This donation represents the largest gift ever made to a Canadian cultural institution.
Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640), The Massacre of the Innocents, c.1611-12, oil on wood panel, 142.0 x 182.0 cm. The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto. The Thomson Collection.
Paul Kane (Canadian, 1810-1871), Scene in the Northwest, 1845-1846, oil on canvas, 55.9 x 78.7 cm. The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto. The Thomson Collection.
Navy Board Model of “The Revenge” (a 70-gun third-rate ship of the line in service 1718-40), c.1718, attributed to Hayward, master shipwright at Woolwich Dockyard, wood, gilded and painted with metal fittings, 109.2cm. The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto. The Thomson Collection, Thomson Fund Purchase, 2005.
