OTTAWA.- With just one month to go before it closes, the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) is already declaring its major summer exhibition, The 1930s, the Making of “The New Man,” an unqualified success. Visitor numbers are well ahead of projections and audience reaction is very positive.

“We are delighted with the results to date as well as the appreciative comments received from Canadian and international visitors alike” said Director of Public Affairs, Joanne Charette. “We are anticipating that this will continue until the exhibition closes.”

Presented by the National Gallery of Canada Foundation, The 1930s, The Making of "The New Man” is on view until September 7, 2008. It is a powerful and thought-provoking exhibition comprising 206 paintings, sculptures, and photographs by 103 European and North American artists, some of which have rarely been on public display. It includes works by some of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century such as Jean Arp, Vassily Kandinsky, Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalί, Alberto Giacometti, August Sander, Diego Rivera, Alex Colville, Hart Benton, Grant Wood, Ivan Albright and Walker Evans. In addition, the majority of the works presented are loans secured from some of the most prestigious public and private collections in Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Spain, Russia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Mexico, the United States and Canada.

The exhibition is on view exclusively at the NGC and is the first exhibition to explore the link between art and biology. Divided into nine themes, Genesis, Convulsive Beauty, “The Will to Power,” The Making of “The New Man”, Mother Earth, The Appeal of Classicism, “Faces of our Time,” “Crowds and Power,” and The Charnel House, it provides a fascinating glimpse into the minds of artists of that era’s and their reactions to the political ideologies predominating at a particularly turbulent time in history.

“A glance into the Gallery’s Visitors Book reveals that the significance of this exhibition is being appreciated and understood,” said CEO and President of the National Gallery of Canada Foundation, Marie Claire Morin.

Two recent visitors state:

“Brilliantly presented to the public in such a way as to connect viewers with varying amounts of knowledge of this time period. Both chilling and evocative. As someone who is fascinated with this time period, I found this exhibition allowed me to understand the feelings of those who lived through it on a level that a simple text book never could. I am sure that many people will be moved by it as I was.” (E. A. Buscheck)

“Brilliant! Fascinating choices; the selections make sense, flow into a “story.” So important to remain aware. Thank you.” (K. Lannan)