Winnipeg Art Gallery

This afternoon I decided to take in the blockbuster «100 Masters» exhibit of 100 paintings in celebration of the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s 100^th anniversary. Granted, it’s a tremendous exhibit, but be warned: admission is pricy — $ 20 for a senior (only $ 2 off the full price)!
The WAG occupies a very handsome modern building on Memorial Blvd. a bit south of Portage Avenue (and just across the street from the Bay). The main exhibit space is on the third floor and it’s almost entirely taken up by this special exhibit. Virtually all the paintings come from museums across Canada, including some works from the WAG’s own collection and a few from the museums in Minneapolis. Brought together in an exhibit like this one, it’s obvious that there are some very fine paintings in Canada, but in real life, of course, they’re spread out somewhat thinly in museums across the country. The exhibit covers periods from the Golden Age of the 1600s to the present day. The masterworks from the earlier periods are European, of course, as Canada was barely settled in those days. The highlight is probably the remarkable Rembrandt depiction of «A Woman at her Toilet» (also knows as «Heroine from the Old Testament») from the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. Beautifully cleaned and restored, the subject of the painting is bathed in brilliant light, while the rest of the scene is shadowed in obscurity, really highlighting the rich robes the subject is wearing (perhaps a Jewish wedding coat?) while being attended by her maid.
The eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries are well represented by fine works from European and British masters of the period, including a few showing bewigged and powdered gentlemen who figured prominently in Canada’s colonial history. The later nineteenth century features some very good works by Canadians who trained at the academies in London and Paris.
A number of impressionist works represent the later decades of the 19^th century. A particularly beautiful piece is one of Monet’s series of depictions of London’s Waterloo Bridge at various times of the day. The one on display seems to have been painted in the afternoon, with a gleaming light and beautiful coloring.
A highlight of the exhibit is the generous selection of works by the Group of Seven painters from the 1920s and 30s. This group of Canadian painters brought a unique sensibility to their portrayals of Canada’s spectacular landscapes, with strong colors and forms a bit reminiscent of Art Deco but also looking backward more than a bit to the more sensuous lines of Art Nouveau and Jugendstil. There are also a number of paintings by Canada’s premier West Coast artist Emily Carr, who was active during some of the same period.
An unusual addition to the exhibit is a small selection of paintings depicting Canada’s participation in World War I. Done by fine artists recruited to document the conflict, these paintings don’t glorify war. Rather they suggest the weariness and fatigue of the troops after the war had dragged on to a stalemate for so many years, the ravages of war on the physical landscape, and the somewhat aimless attitudes of some general field staff waiting for their formal portraits to be painted.
The exhibit continues into the latter half of the 20^th Century and the early years of the current one with works in various styles ranging from abstraction to realism, to I’m-not-sure-what! Again, many of these works are both interesting and arrestingly beautiful. The bottom line, then, is that in spite of the steepish admission price, this show is very much worth seeing for its overview of the variety in Canadian collections and the possibly surprising depth and quality of Canada’s own painters and artistic movements. As the Michelin Guide would say, this exhibition is worth the trip!

My friends who just celebrated their 25^th anniversary were married at the WAG so I love that weddings are still being held here. After living in other cities and coming home, I also really appreciate the unique architecture that is so distinctly «Winnipeg».
The gallery itself is lovely for showcasing art. It has a nice media area to display cinematic presentations (I remember watching the Cannes commercial festivals here). There are amazing jazz concerts to check out too.

Had a seasons pass one year, great exhibits, new stuff regularly.

I visited the WAG at the end of September to check out the European Renaissance and Baroque art exhibit.
The gallery itself seemed pretty dead, and there wasn’t a whole lot to see. Some of the exhibits were not open to the public yet, so I guess we picked a bad time to go.
There was a lot of Canadian art, of course. The gift shop is pretty great, I love all the artsy post-​cards you can buy, and the book selection was decent as well.
The sculpture garden on the roof is cool, not just for the sculptures, but just to hang out and enjoy the sun!
Admission is $ 10!

Well, I can’t comment on the art here because I didn’t get a chance to look around but it is a gorgeous venue to put on a wedding. I was here for a wedding recently, that was catered by Storm (exclusive caterer of the WAG amongst other places). The ceremony was held on the rooftop next to the WAG’s restaurant. The rooftop is nothing special — considering that it’s used for such special occasions, you’d think they’d incorporate some interesting plants or flowers. The view isn’t super nice either as you face the Investor’s Group Building and the Bay. So it’s an average area for a ceremony unless you’re willing to put in more decorative items. Otherwise, it feels kinda bare.
The Ferdinand Eckardt Hall straight in from the main entrance is a really unique and pretty venue for a reception. The space features tyndall stone floors and walls, a 21-​foot cathedral ceiling and a visual art display. It fits 200 people nicely and feels quite intimate despite the scale of the space. It’s also really nice that the gallery allows guests to wander around until 11 pm. It’s nice to be able to get away from the party for a bit and see the collections.