Generous gift from the Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation supports Canadian War Museum exhibition on Alfred Munnings

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Ottawa, Ontario, October 17, 2018 — The Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation has presented the Canadian War Museum with a gift of $300,000, in support of a new exhibition on the art of Sir Alfred Munnings. The exhibition ­— which will travel internationally before being presented in Canada — includes more than 40 works of art created by Munnings while he was an official war artist with Lord Beaverbrook’s Canadian War Memorials Fund.

“We are grateful to the Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation for its generous support of the international tour,” said Mark O’Neill, President and CEO of the Canadian War Museum and the Canadian Museum of History. “This incredible gift will allow the Museum to introduce new audiences to Munnings’ depictions of the Canadian military, created during a period of his career that was pivotal in establishing his reputation as one of England’s most renowned painters of horses.”

“We are delighted to bring this important collection of Munnings’ art to the UK for the first time,” said Max Aitken, President of the Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation. “My great-grandfather commissioned many artists to capture the emotion of the First World War. One of the most important among these was Alfred Munnings, who produced evocative images of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade and the Canadian Forestry Corps, which can be seen in this exhibition. We are pleased that this extraordinary collection will be seen by new audiences.”

Already recognized in England for his equestrian portraits, Munnings joined the Canadian War Memorials Fund art program in 1918 to document the service of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade and the Canadian Forestry Corps, along and behind the Western Front. His landscapes, many of which feature horses, established Munnings as an influential artist and would help future generations imagine Canada’s First World War experience. Munnings’ war paintings are now part of the Canadian War Museum’s Beaverbrook Collection of War Art.

Developed by the Canadian War Museum in partnership with the Munnings Art Museum in England, the travelling exhibition includes examples of Munnings’ equine art, landscapes and portraiture, and offers new perspectives on the artist and his work. The exhibition will be presented at the National Army Museum in London from November 2018 to March 2019, and at the Munnings Art Museum in Dedham, England, from mid-March 2019 to September 2019. The exhibition will then tour Canada, including a presentation at the Canadian War Museum.

A travelling exhibition developed by the Canadian War Museum (Ottawa, Canada), in partnership with the Munnings Art Museum (Dedham, UK) and generously supported by the Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation.

About the Canadian War Museum

The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Its mission is to promote public understanding of Canada’s military history in its personal, national and international dimensions. Work of the Canadian War Museum is made possible in part through financial support of the Government of Canada.

About the Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation

The Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation is a charitable foundation located in Montréal, Quebec. It supports organizations, predominantly in New Brunswick, in the areas of education, arts and culture. It is affiliated with the Beaverbrook Foundation in the UK, and the two foundations have supported over 900 charities in the last 60 years.

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Media contacts:

Josée Prevost
Senior Communications and Media Relations Officer
Canadian War Museum
Telephone: 819-776-8687
Email: josee.prevost@warmuseum.ca

Avra Gibbs Lamey
Acting Manager, Public Affairs
Canadian War Museum
Telephone: 819-776-8607
Email: avra.gibbs-lamey@warmuseum.ca