The National Gallery of Canada announces major gift to Canadians of 61 artworks, featuring Rodney Graham

18 June 2025

On 16 June, The National Gallery of Canada announced a $22.8-million major gift to Canadians of 61 artworks, featuring some of the most iconic artists in contemporary art history, by noted Vancouver-based businessperson and philanthropist Bob Rennie, a Distinguished Patron of the National Gallery of Canada Foundation, and The Rennie Family.

The donation notably comprises 40 works by Rodney Graham. With a practice spanning 50 years, Graham (1949-2022) was born in Abbotsford, British Columbia. The works by Graham span nearly four decades, ranging from major installations, lightboxes, paintings and rare early works to multiples produced over many years that enhance insights into his oeuvre.

Three works by Ai Weiwei will complement the three current pieces in our collection by the celebrated Chinese contemporary artist. Reflecting the strong social justice component of the Rennie Collection, monumentally scaled works will also bring Allora and Calzadilla and Dan Graham, among others, into the Gallery’s collection for the first time.

“Bob Rennie’s extraordinary contribution to the nation supports our mission of making great art accessible to all Canadians, from coast to coast to coast, through partnership and collaboration. The Rennie Collection, one of the largest collections of contemporary art in the country, has evolved over the years to focus on works tackling issues of identity, social commentary and injustice.” – Paul Genest, Chair of the Board, and Jean-François Bélisle, Director and CEO, of the National Gallery of Canada.

Find out more via The National Gallery of Canada.

Image: Rodney Graham, Actor / Director, 1954, 2013, Backlit diptych Two painted aluminum lightboxes with transmounted chromogenic transparencies, Installed: 232.7 x 376 x 17.8 cm, Installed: 91 5/8 x 148 x 7 in