Welcome from Kathleen Bartels, Director of the Vancouver Art Gallery

Photo: Alex Waterhouse-Hayward

Vancouver is one of the most vibrant, progressive cities in the world and I believe the Vancouver Art Gallery has a responsibility to reflect this wealth of creativity and dynamic energy.

The Gallery stands in the centre of a city recognized as a nurturing ground for artistic talent. Through cutting-edge exhibitions, we feature the work of leaders in the field of contemporary art and Vancouver's internationally renowned artists, including Jeff Wall, Ian Wallace, Stan Douglas, Rodney Graham, Roy Arden and Brian Jungen, serving as a portal for their remarkable achievements while furthering British Columbia's artistic legacy. The Gallery also houses the magnificent works of significant historical artists, including the most extensive collection of the work of Canada's beloved Emily Carr. Our permanent holdings number nearly 10,000 artworks, making the Gallery among the most valuable collections in Canada.

The Vancouver Art Gallery’s 2010 exhibition schedule is one of the most ambitious in the institution’s history, beginning with a full roster of exhibitions during the time of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, including Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man, Visceral Bodies, Visions of British Columbia: A Landscape Manual, CUE: Artists’ Videos and Michael Lin: A Modest Veil, as well as Ken Lum at the Gallery’s Offsite public art location on West Georgia Street. This summer, the Gallery will organize and present solo exhibitions by internationally renowned contemporary artists Fiona Tan and Kerry James Marshall. We are also extremely proud to co-organize and be the sole presenter of The Modern Woman: Drawings by Degas, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and Other Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, a landmark exhibition featuring some of history’s most celebrated artists from the world’s finest collection of 19th century French art.

I hope you will visit the Vancouver Art Gallery in our 79th year as we bring the best of the world to Vancouver, and the best of Vancouver to the world.

Kathleen S. Bartels
Director