DONATION OF BILL REID COLLECTION IS SECURED

Vancouver – The Bill Reid Foundation and Martine Reid are pleased to announce that the agreement for Dr. Reid’s gift of the Bill Reid Collection to the Foundation has been completed.

“We are delighted that we have been able to conclude the transactions, with the valuable assistance of our private donors and the Government of Canada,” said David Gillanders, president of the Foundation. “In addition to this magnificent gift, the agreements included the rights of reproduction, and the Foundation purchasing a small number of pieces.” 

The Bill Reid Collection is comprised of 107 pieces of mostly Reid’s work, and also some pieces from his predecessors and successors.  The gift is appraised at $2.7 million, in addition to which the Foundation purchased $700,000 worth of art.  This has ensured the Collection will not have to be broken up and sold in pieces or out of the country.

“I am pleased that I was able to make this gift,” said Martine Reid. “This is what Bill and I always wanted – that our personal collection go to a special-purpose Foundation bearing his name.”

The Foundation is dedicated to telling Bill Reid’s story in the context of the culture that inspired him, and to preserving his art and perpetuating his many legacies.  As a result of this generous gift, the important collection will be in the public domain, in British Columbia.

“Now the Collection is under the auspices of the Foundation, we will raising more funds so we can proceed with our long-term plans,” said Herb Auerbach, executive director of the Foundation.  “We are planning an international tour, as several European and North American cities have shown interest in an exhibit.  And we will be working on a permanent home in Vancouver for the touring exhibit to return to.”

 

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Contact:          Audrey Rockingham Gill, 604-730-2905

                        [email protected]

                        www.billreidfoundation.org