OTTAWA.- In honour of the 150th anniversary of Confederation, Imperial announced the launch of its largest-ever philanthropic art donation program at an event at the National Gallery of Canada. Forty-three paintings by prominent Canadian artists, worth an estimated $6 million, are being donated to 15 museums across the country. The Gallery received five paintings, which were unveiled this morning.

Imperial’s gift includes Billboard (Jazz) (1921) by Lawren S. Harris, a member of the Group of Seven painters; Paul Peel’s Idle Dreams (1887); Prudence Heward’s Miss Anne Grafftey (1944); Kathleen M. Morris’s Birds Feeding (c. 1945); and A.J. Casson’s Twilight Near Britt (1960). These paintings are now part of the Gallery’s collection of Later Canadian Art.

The paintings are available for public viewing at the NGC through March 26, 2017. It is the only occasion where all five paintings are being displayed together in the same room, before entering the national collection. Billboard (Jazz) will also be on view in the new Canadian and Indigenous Galleries, an exhibition space set to open within the Gallery on June 15.

“Imperial was founded in Canada 137 years ago, and our art collection reflects our long history. We’ve collected Canadian art for more than 70 years and are now sharing many of our extraordinary works at galleries from coast to coast in honour of the country’s sesquicentennial celebration,” said Rich Kruger, Chairman, President and CEO of Imperial.

“We are grateful to Imperial for its generous donation to Canada’s national collection,” said Marc Mayer, Director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada. “These are remarkable paintings by some of Canada’s most celebrated artists. They will deepen our understanding of their art and will certainly be appreciated by visitors to the Gallery.”

Thomas d’Aquino, Chair of the National Gallery of Canada Foundation, congratulated Imperial on its philanthropic initiative. “During this monumental year for Canada, we are honoured to salute one of our country’s flagship companies, Imperial, and its gesture in service to our nation. The generous gift of these works of art to the National Gallery of Canada is symbolic of the close connection we have with one of our great corporate philanthropists.”

In addition to the five paintings donated to the National Gallery of Canada, Imperial has also donated 38 artworks to 14 museums across the country, including:

• Judith and Norman Alix Gallery (Sarnia, ON)
• Art Gallery of Alberta (Edmonton, AB)
• McIntosh Gallery at the University of Western Ontario (London, ON)
• Alberta Foundation for the Arts (Edmonton, AB)
• Dalhousie Art Gallery (Halifax, NS)
• Musée National des beaux-arts de Quebec (Quebec City, QC)
• Cold Lake Museums (Cold Lake, AB)
• Leduc #1 Energy Discovery Centre (Leduc, AB)
• Glenbow Museum (Calgary, AB)
• Nickle Galleries at the University of Calgary (Calgary, AB)
• Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver, BC)
• The McMichael Canadian Art Collection (Kleinburg, ON)
• New Brunswick Museum (Saint John, NB)
• Norman Wells Historical Society (Norman Wells, NT)