About Us - Beaverbrook Art Gallery

ABOUT THE BEAVERBROOK ART GALLERY

New Brunswick’s provincial art gallery has enriched life through art since 1959.

Our Mission

The Beaverbrook Art Gallery brings art and community together in a dynamic cultural environment dedicated to the highest standards in exhibitions, programming, education and stewardship.

Our mission is to:

Maintain artistic excellence in the care, research and development of our widely recognized collections.
Present engaging and stimulating exhibitions and programs to encourage full appreciation of the visual arts.
Embrace and advance the province’s two official language communities, its Indigenous Peoples and its diverse social, economic and cultural fabric.
Partner to meet its goals with the governments of New Brunswick and Canada, the general public, the private sector, cultural and educational institutions, artists and members of the artistic community.
Conduct the affairs of the gallery in a financially sustainable manner;
Serve as an advocate for the arts, and promote art education and visual literacy.

Our Mission

The Beaverbrook Art Gallery brings art and community together in a dynamic cultural environment dedicated to the highest standards in exhibitions, programming, education and stewardship.

Our mission is to:

Maintain artistic excellence in the care, research and development of our widely recognized collections.
Present engaging and stimulating exhibitions and programs to encourage full appreciation of the visual arts.
Embrace and advance the province’s two official language communities, its Indigenous Peoples and its diverse social, economic and cultural fabric.
Partner to meet its goals with the governments of New Brunswick and Canada, the general public, the private sector, cultural and educational institutions, artists and members of the artistic community.
Conduct the affairs of the gallery in a financially sustainable manner;
Serve as an advocate for the arts, and promote art education and visual literacy.

Black and white photo of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery being built.

Our History

The Beaverbrook Art Gallery and a significant art collection were given to the people of New Brunswick by Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Max Aitken, at the opening on Sept. 16, 1959. Many consider our magnificent collection of masterworks and the purpose-built art gallery housing them as the greatest of many generous gifts to his home province.

The son of a Presbyterian minister in Miramichi, New Brunswick, Max Aitken enjoyed early success in Canadian business. In 1910, he left Canada for England, where he was knighted and elected a Member of Parliament, eventually serving as Minister of Aircraft Production in Churchill’s wartime government.

In 1916, Sir Max established the Canadian War Memorials Fund to commission official war artists to paint the Canadian war effort. These artists included three future members of the Group of Seven: A.Y. Jackson, Frederick Varley, and Arthur Lismer.

In creating a world-class collection for the gallery, Sir Max consulted with international art experts to advise him on key acquisitions and encouraged colleagues and acquaintances to donate paintings. The original collection included works by J.M.W. Turner, John Constable, Thomas Gainsborough, Joshua Reynolds, Edwin Henry Landseer, and works by modern artists such as Augustus John, William Orpen, Graham Sutherland, and Lucian Freud. Famous Canadian artists such as Cornelius Krieghoff, Emily Carr, and members of the Group of Seven were among the collection, as were works by Salvador Dalí.

In 1994, the Beaverbrook was officially designated the provincial art gallery of New Brunswick.

Board of Directors