Browse the Kelowna Art Gallery’s permanent collection online!
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Kelowna Art Gallery and the beloved institution is celebrating by making all 881 pieces of its permanent collection available online. The new searchable database allows artists, students, and art lovers from around the world to take a peek behind the closed doors of the KAG vault.
Tony Scherman’s ‘Marilyn Monroe is one of the the 881 pieces in the Kelowna Art Gallery’s permanent collection.
As stewards of such a large collection, held in trust by the City of Kelowna for its citizens, the Kelowna Art Gallery tries to hold exhibitions that feature the permanent collection but with 881 pieces it is not possible to showcase all of them. By digitizing the collection the KAG is able to make this fine collection Canadian art accessible to the public.
This Spring the Kelowna Art Gallery will be showcasing an exhibition of fifteen selected works from the permanent collection titled The Big Picture (April 29 to June 25, 2017).
What’s in the Kelowna Art Gallery’s permanent collection?
The Kelowna Art Gallery’s permanent collection features works by 166 artists. While the majority of the collection offers works by contemporary Canadian artists, there are also a small number of historical Canadian pieces.
The permanent collection is largely the result of gifts mades to the Kelowna Art Gallery, however the Board of Directors does make some small purchases on the recommendation of the Acquisitions Committee. The following are just some examples of artists and artworks within the permanent collection.
If the sculpture below looks familiar it may be because you’ve seen Geert Maas’ distinctive style around Kelowna. One of Canada’s most renowned sculptors, Maas’s works can be found around the globe. Locally, you can find Maas’ sculptures at City Hall, the entrance to Kasugai Gardens and Waterfront Park. Geert and his wife, Ellie, call Kelowna home and they’ve transformed their property into the Geert Maas Sculpture Gardens and Gallery.
Now 97-years-old, Gordon Smith is a Canadian sculptor, printmaker and painter who calls West Vancouver home. Smith was a recipient of the Order of Canada in 1996 and his contemporary works can be found in collections at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Born in England, Sophie Atkinson was trained at the Newcastle School of Art. At the turn of the 20th century, Atkinson lived on the Greek island of Corfu, and after WWI she travelled to India and Europe. In 1924 she journeyed to California and then moved north to Western Canada where she took advantage of Canadian Pacific’s free passes for artists and travelled the country. Some of her pieces were purchased by the CPR. In 1949 Atkinson settled in Revelstoke and founded the Revelstoke Art Club in 1962 before returning to Britain in 1968.
Walker Real Estate is proud to support the Kelowna Art Gallery as the title sponsor of Appetite for Art, an annual fundraiser that supports ongoing educational and children’s programming. The region’s finest chefs prepare gourmet dishes, paired with superb Okanagan wines, beer, and spirits for a unique dining experience. Works of art by selected artists will be displayed throughout the space, available for guests to purchase, while they enjoy a sumptuous, roving feast. Appetite for Art 2017 is set for April 22. For more information visit KelownaArtGallery.com.
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