HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA.- The Tate Gallery, London has lent an important painting to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia,"Entrance to Halifax Harbor" by A.Y. Jackson. Jackson, a Canadian War Records artist, made the painting in 1919 chronicling the Canadian Fleet steaming into Halifax Harbor with troops returning home at the conclusion of WWI. "Entrance to Halifax Harbor" is one of Jackson's most celebrated early paintings. It was shown in the inaugural exhibition of the Group of Seven in Toronto, May 1920 and toured thereafter to art museums throughout the USA. In 1924, it was displayed at The British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, England where it was purchased for the collection of the Tate. The painting and its international purchase are well recorded in Canadian art history, yet, it has been rarely seen by Canadians.

The Tate has agreed to a long loan of the painting to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. AGNS Director and Chief Curator, Jeffrey Spalding remarks: "Entrance to Halifax Harbor" is one of Jackson's most renowned paintings and a sentimental favorite image reflecting the naval and military traditions of Atlantic Canada. We are greatly touched by the efforts of the British High Commission and the generosity of the Tate Gallery to graciously extend the loan of this remarkable work for the benefit of Canadians".