National Gallery of Canada

National Gallery of Canada

National art museum founded in Ottawa in 1880. Its holdings include extensive collections of Canadian art as well as important European works. Its nucleus was formed with the donation of diploma works by members of the Royal Canadian Academy. In 1911 the drawing collection was formed (1913–24) with important works by Albrecht Dürer and Rembrandt, and the photography collection was begun in 1967. A new building opened in 1988; the Canadian Centre for the Visual Arts opened in 1991 and a multimedia learning centre in 1996. The museum circulates several hundred exhibitions to other cities throughout the country each year.