”Thierry Mugler: Couturissime,” 2019. Exhibition view at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Photo: © Marc Cramer.
“Thierry Mugler: Couturissime” tops the list of most-visited Canadian exhibitions in 2019. The Art Newspaper’s global survey of last year’s most-visited shows has the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ Thierry Mugler survey at 290,455 visitors—also putting it in the top 10 decorative arts and fashion exhibitions internationally. The museum was also among three Canadian institutions in the newspaper’s Top 100 list for total art-museum attendance last year: the Royal Ontario Museum was 50th with 1,309,345 visitors; the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts was 60th with 1,174,890; and the Art Gallery of Ontario was 86th with 922,014. (MMFA, Art Newspaper)
The Ontario government’s annual public salary disclosure indicates what some top museum and gallery directors in the province were paid last year. Josh Basseches, director and chief executive officer of the Royal Ontario Museum, had a salary of $533,078. Stephan Jost, director and CEO of the Art Gallery of Ontario, had a salary of $375,437. Maurice Bitran, CEO and chief science officer of the Ontario Science Centre, had a salary of $216,207. Some other top-paid arts-institution executives included Nick Bobrow, deputy director of operations and chief financial officer of the Royal Ontario Museum, at $320,901. (Province of Ontario)
The Canadian Heritage Minister reveals how latest $500 million in COVID-19 culture relief will flow. On May 8, the minister said $55 million of the funds will be distributed by the Canada Council, while $53 million will go to the Museums Assistance Program. Also, $198.3 million will be provided to the beneficiaries of arts and culture funding via existing Canadian Heritage programs as well as other organizations with demonstrated needs. (Department of Canadian Heritage)
Visitors at the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair in 2019. Photo: TOAF.
The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is moving online for 2020. The event, founded in 1961, usually brings more than 360 contemporary visual arts exhibitors, along with 130,000 visitors, to Nathan Phillips Square for one weekend each July, boasting $2 million in sales. But for 2020, amid pandemic-related safety concerns, it will run online from July 2 to 12. (TOAF)
Anne Bertrand is stepping down as director of the Artist-Run Centres and Collectives Conference. July 31 will be Bertrand’s final day on the job, after having served the national organization since 2012. Says a release, “She intends to return to her artistic practice while offering her services as a consultant in the field.” It adds: “ARCA brings together the nine Canadian associations of artist-run centres and affiliates, which include more than 180 artist-run centres and artists collectives in the visual and media arts, contemporary craft and architecture.” (ARCA)
Taqralik Partridge has been appointed Nordic Lab director at SAW in Ottawa. The Inuk artist, writer and curator succeeds Joi T. Arcand, who served as the Nordic Lab’s inaugural artist in residence and interim director. The lab will officially open in fall of this year. (SAW)
Josée Drouin-Brisebois has been appointed curator for the 13th Kaunas Biennial. Drouin-Brisebois, also senior curator of contemporary art at the National Gallery of Canada, will the curate 2021–22 edition of the biennial, coinciding with the Lithuanian city’s European Capital of Culture. (e-flux)
Dave Dyment and Roula Partheniou have been appointed the co-directors of Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre in Sackville. Collaborators for almost 20 years, the artist couple met while working at Art Metropole in Toronto, and moved to Sackville last summer. (Akimbo)
