U of A Museums receive $37 million in rare Asian artefacts
Written By: Caitlin Crawshaw
2005-04-20
More than 700 pieces of ancient and modern Asian art and textiles have been donated to the University of Alberta in one of the largest donations in Canadian museum history.It was announced today that Edmonton philanthropists Sandy and Cecile Mactaggart have donated a rare collection valued at over $37 million to the U of A Museums. The wide array of cultural artifacts will form the basis of a new Chinese studies centre to be built on campus with matching donations from the Alberta Government.
“This is the largest donation to the University of Alberta by any individual donor in our history,” said U of A president Dr. Rod Fraser. “It is one of the most valuable donations to any public museum in Canada in terms of its appraised value and its rarity.”
Fraser added that the collection has been named the Mactaggart Art Collection, and has been certified by the federal government as Canadian cultural property, meaning that it has met standards of national importance.
The collection includes 92 pieces of Chinese art dating back as far as the 13th century, 641 Asian artifacts including textiles and costumes, and a world-class collection of Tibetan costumes. An existing $10 million endowment fund previously given to the U of A by the philanthropist couple will cover the costs of maintaining the collection.
“As a museum community we are absolutely delighted to be getting this type of donation,” said Janine Andrews, Executive Director of Museums and Collections. “It’s rare, it’s unique, it’s in excellent condition, the donors have carefully collected it, and they have documented the collection better than some museum collections that I’ve seen.”
In fact, the Mactaggart Art Collection has been years in the making, and was facilitated from time to time by expert advice from members of the New York and London art scenes.
“It started when I was in university and gathered over a lifetime, principally by my competent wife, whose tastes and high standards are reflected in the quality of everything she’s collected — except me,” said Sandy Mactaggart.
He pointed out that the donation is, in fact, two gifts — the art collection and the Chinese Studies Centre, noting that the latter is of prime political importance to Alberta.
“The provincial government is supporting this initiative because it recognizes the effect Canada’s future relations with China will have on the prosperity of Alberta,” he noted, speaking to China’s growing influence in the world. “Today we are launching an initiative with far-reaching possibilities, of great importance to this province and this country.”
Fraser emphasized that the U of A is fortunate to have been selected for the donation.
“We are simply delighted that the Mactaggart family has chosen the U of A to be the custodians, to be the stewards, to be those whose goal is to harness the full potential of this magnificent gift.”
Original: ExpressNews