Fonds MS-1220 - Edmonton Art Gallery fonds

The Edmonton Art Gallery (EAG) was established in 1924 as the Edmonton Museum of Arts Association. A group of Edmontonians gathered to create the Museum “to promote the knowledge and enjoyment of, and cultivation of the fine arts and to preserve historical relics.” The Museum’s first exhibition was held in the Palm Room of Hotel McDonald in Edmonton and featured 24 borrowed pieces from the National Gallery of Canada.

The EAG was housed in various buildings and locations throughout its history including the Hotel MacDonald and Secord House. It was while located at Secord House that the Museum changed its name to the Edmonton Art Gallery. In 1969 the EAG relocated to a new building designed by architect Don Bittorf on Sir Winston Churchill Square in Edmonton, which was designed specifically as a modern art museum.

Throughout its history the EAG expanded its collection through acquiring works of art from 20th century artists including Walter J. Phillips, George Reid, Franklin Carmichael, A.Y. Jackson. People from Edmonton and other parts of the world donated art to the gallery in various mediums to help expand the collection. It was during the 1970s and 1980s when the EAG began to significantly grow their collection by the addition of historical artworks by a range of artists including; Emily Carr, H.G. Glyde, David Milne, Marion Nicoll, Frederick Verner, Jack Bush, Larry Poons, along with many others. The EAG also acquired a substantial photography collection.

The EAG’s collection grew to over six thousand pieces and after 25 years the EAG building was in need of serious repairs in order to best care for the artwork. In 2005 the Edmonton Art Gallery was renamed the Art Gallery of Alberta in honour of a monetary gift received from the Province of Alberta. In the same year the gallery building was redesigned, doubling gallery space and meeting the highest standards of museum controls. The Gallery currently holds more than 30 exhibitions a year which showcase Alberta art in the context of Canada and international art from the last century.