Concordia Collects:
Selected Art Acquisitions 1974 - 2000
August 22 - September 23, 2000

The Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery of Concordia University was proud to present the exhibition commemorating Concordia University's twenty-fifth anniversary and the parallel development of its unique collection of Canadian art. Concordia Collects: Selected Art Acquisitions 1974-2000 comprised close to seventy paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures and installations acquired by the Gallery since 1974 when Loyola College and Sir George Williams merged to form Concordia University. The exhibition and accompanying catalogue, were organized to celebrate the University's long-standing commitment to the collection, interpretation and presentation of art and its belief in the value of incorporating art into the academic milieu.

The exhibition also served to bring to public attention pivotal works by a cross section of Canadian artists, helping to further knowledge of the history of art in this country as well as the very nature of collecting within the context of a public institution. Among the artists represented in the exhibition were Paul-Émile Borduas, Fritz Brandtner, Geneviève Cadieux, Emily Carr, Emily Coonan, Cathy Daley, Pierre Dorion, Aganetha Dyck, Yves Gaucher, Betty Goodwin, Jean-Paul Lemieux, Rita Letendre, John Lyman, James Wilson Morrice, Louis Muhlstock, Spring Hurlbut, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Goodridge Roberts, Jori Smith, Barbara Steinman, Joanne Tod, Claude Tousignant, Horatio Walker, and Irene Whittome.

The exhibition was curated by Gallery Director Karen Antaki who presented a talk entitled "From Carr to Cadieux: Concordia University's Canadian Art Collection" on September 21, 2000. The Gallery talk discussed key works in the exhibition and described the unique nature and history of Concordia's permanent collection.