FREDERICTON, NB.- The Beaverbrook Art Gallery announced the expansion to its permanent art collection, marking one of the most significant acquisitions of Canadian art since its inception. This exciting acquisition of more than 30 artworks underscores the gallery's commitment to growing its collection in a meaningful way by increasing its offerings of contemporary and historical Indigenous, Canadian, and Atlantic artworks.
Curated with the intention of growing the collection of artworks in areas that the gallery has lacked, the expanded collection showcases a breathtaking array of contemporary artworks spanning various mediums, styles, and perspectives. Among the remarkable additions to the Beaverbrook's expanded collection are four standout artworks that help round out the gallery’s collection:
1. Zombie Fires Burning (2024), by Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, a large 92 x 62-inch painting depicting the destruction of the environment. Playing with tropes of surrealism, in particular the “melting watches” of Salvador Dali, he combines traditional Northwest coast imagery and motifs with a cutting take on Western art history.
2. Chants de Travail (2006), mixed media sound installation, 158 x 40 x 256-inches by Jean-Pierre Gauthier, plays with sound, and allows visitors to immerse themselves in his work as they walk underneath it to view conduits, cords, wires, and the once familiar objects that make up his music-makers. In this work he has reconceived sculpture as musical in that he has envisioned his sculptures as instruments, instruments that play themselves.
3. Blanket 2 (2006) painted aluminum, 96 x 36 x 5-inches by Zeke Moores, which was made through the process of sandcasting, a painstaking process whereby replicas of objects are made by imprinting them into founder’s sand. Achieving the level of detail that Moores does by molding a soft textile in sand represents the highest level of craftsmanship.
4. 16 of 100 Closest Stars (2024), 3-D printed plastic filament, varying dimensions by Lucy Pullen. In 100 Closest Stars New-York based Canadian artist Lucy Pullen uses celestial navigation to plot shapes for our sun’s closest neighbours. The crystalline forms reflect the overlapping and intersecting planes that describe the positions of stars in a sky where everything is constantly moving.
These historic acquisitions reflect the dedication of the Beaverbrook’s curatorial team to supporting and promoting Canadian artists, providing a platform for their voices to resonate and their visions to inspire.
"We are thrilled to unveil aspects of our expanding art collection, which represents a landmark moment in the history of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, “ says Curator of Canadian Art, Ray Cronin. "This ambitious endeavor reflects our commitment to grow our collection with our accession funds. With many of the newly acquired works already on display, we invite art enthusiasts from near and far to visit the gallery to view these stunning works.”
In addition to the expanded collection, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery is offering Climate and Creativity school tours for grades 3 to 12 which feature some of the newly acquired works. These tours, supported by the Chawkers Foundation, offer students a unique opportunity to engage with the artworks and connect with the important themes behind them.
As the Beaverbrook continues to change over its exhibition spaces visitors will see more of the newly acquired works in the coming months.
