OTTAWA.- The National Gallery of Canada’s presentation of paintings from the world-renowned Ordrupgaard collection has attracted more than 114,000 visitors to date, making it the most attended summer exhibition since Van Gogh: Up Close, the Gallery’s 2012 summer show. Impressionist Treasures:The Ordrupgaard Collection opened May 18, 2018 in Ottawa, the only North American stop on its international tour. The exhibition travels to Italy, Switzerland and the Czech Republic after completing its run at the Gallery on September 9, 2018.

Impressionist Treasures: The Ordrupgaard Collection features 76 paintings by the masters of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and the Danish Golden Age, such as Pissarro, Gauguin, Monet, Matisse, Delacroix, Renoir and Cézanne, to name but a few. Assembled by Wilhelm and Henny Hansen in the early 20th century, the collection is regarded today as one of Europe’s most comprehensive and exquisite; and while on view in Ottawa, has captivated crowds with its masterpieces that are traditionally only displayed at the Ordrupgaard museum near Copenhagen.

The collection was originally assembled between 1852 and 1931 by the Danish businessman and his wife, who aspired to own up to 12 works by each of the leading artists of the period. Out of a desire to promote French modern art, the influential couple welcomed the public to their stately home, called Ordrupgaard, one day a week in 1918. Following Henny Hansen’s death, the couple’s home was transformed into a museum by the Danish state, which continues to operate as such today.

While the museum undergoes renovation, the collection has embarked on an international tour – with the National Gallery of Canada marking the only stop in North America. The Ottawa presentation features 60 French and 16 Danish paintings, including the Gallery’s very own Sunshine in the Drawing Room by Vilhelm Hammershĝi. The exhibition also presents educational spaces and programs designed to enrich the visitor experience – such as an interactive scrim designed to place visitors inside an Impressionist painting, as well as an online Art Match quiz that prompts users to answer multiple choice questions in search of paintings that match their individual personalities.

Visitors have ten more days to visit the exhibition, which is organized by Associate Curator Erika Dolphin and presented with the generous support of Dr. Paul Mandl and Mrs. Elsje Mandl. To learn more, please click here.

Visitors’ comments:
“It is one of the best exhibitions of Impressionist paintings I have ever seen. If you have not seen it, you should definitely visit it.” –Kersten, Ottawa, ON

“I finally was able to look at paintings in person that I only saw in books or on TV. It was amazing.” – Kevin, Ottawa, ON

“I saw the exhibit earlier this summer and was stopped in my tracks by Hammershĝi's works. His work reminded me of the more austere of the Canadian east coast magic realists: Christopher Pratt, Colville, and Forrestall.” – J. Calder, Ottawa, ON.