Emily Carr, Langford, 1939. Oil on paper on plywood. Art Gallery of Alberta Collection, gift of The Ernest E. Poole Foundation, 1975.
In 1975, the AGA was gifted a large and significant collection of Canadian art, donated by the Ernest E. Poole Foundation. This group of 90 paintings and sculptures became the cornerstone of the AGA’s collection of Canadian historical art. The gifts features work by Group of Seven artists such as Lawren Harris, Arthur Lismer, J.E.H. MacDonald and Frederick Varley as well as works by other luminaries of art in Canada: Emily Carr, David Milne, James Wilson Morrice, Tom Thomson amongst many others. This donation and these works are hugely important to the AGA and have been featured in numerous exhibitions, borrowed by museums across Canada and loved by many Albertans. Since 1975, Poole family members have continued to donate works of art to the AGA Collection, including works by A.Y. Jackson and more recently a blanket painting by renowned Indigenous art Bob Boyer. Organized as part of the AGA’s 100th anniversary celebrations, this exhibition features the legacy of the Poole family and their contributions to the AGA and art in Alberta.
Organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta. Curated by Catherine Crowston. This exhibition is presented by the Poole Centre of Design.
