This week, Rideau Hall’s first governor general–related portrait painted by a First Nations artist was unveiled in Ottawa. The portrait of John Ralston Saul, spouse of former governor general Adrienne Clarkson, was created by Kent Monkman.
Saul commissioned the portrait directly from Monkman, who is of Cree, English and Irish ancestry. While Monkman is often known for risqué reframings of Canadian history, this canvas is somewhat more tame, showing Saul in the process of launching a kayak near Baffin Island.
As the Ottawa Citizen reported, during the unveiling Monkman said, “I pitched John a couple of other perhaps more saucy ideas that he graciously and politely declined. I won’t tell you exactly what they were but suffice to say I’ve had to reduce the mischief in those ideas.”
Once unveiled, the portrait was donated by Saul to the crown collection of the Official Residences, which is managed and curated by the National Capital Commission.
The idea of a portrait gallery at Rideau Hall was first formulated around 1898 by Lady Aberdeen—wife of then–governor general Lord of Aberdeen—and became reality when Lord Grey (governor general from 1904 to 1911) began writing to his predecessors or their families to ask if they could donate a portrait for the vice-regal residence. At first, this collection was mainly focused on past governors-general, but it soon included portraits of spouses.
Kent Monkman’s art is currently on view at MASS MoCA’s “Oh, Canada,” Plug In ICA’s “My Winnipeg,” and the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s “Winnipeg Now,” among other locales.
