National Gallery of Canada's Deputy Director and Chief Curator David Franklin
accepts new position at the Cleveland Museum of Art

OTTAWA, Aug. 27 /CNW/ - Dr. David Franklin, Deputy Director and Chief Curator of the National Gallery of Canada (NGC), has accepted a new position as Director of the Cleveland Museum of Art, starting in September 2010. A search is underway for his successor.

An internationally renowned expert in the Italian Renaissance, Dr. Franklin joined the National Gallery of Canada as Curator of Prints and Drawings in 1998 and in 2001 was appointed as Deputy Director and Chief Curator. In this position, he was responsible for the NGC Collections, the Restoration and Conservation Laboratory, the Library and Educational Programming.

"David Franklin's contributions to the Gallery have been extraordinary," said NGC Director, Marc Mayer. "Not only did he organize excellent exhibitions, but he strengthened the collections considerably and led the way in advancing the institution's international reputation for scholarship. While he will be greatly missed, we warmly congratulate him on his new appointment."

Among the critically-acclaimed special exhibitions Franklin organized at the NGC are A Beautiful and Gracious Manner: The Art of Parmigianino (2003) which travelled to the Frick Collection in New York; Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and the Renaissance in Florence (2005), Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture (2008) which was organized in collaboration with the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles; and From Raphael to Carracci: The Art of Papal Rome (2009). He will return to the NGC to present the summer 2011 exhibition Caravaggio and his Circle, which is being co-organized with the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, as guest curator.

Franklin's expertise and relationships with Canadian art philanthropists and collectors made a significant contribution to the NGC Collections. Under his stewardship, major works ranging from numerous important Old Master drawings to iconic paintings such as Francesco Salviati's Virgin and Child with an Angel and Claude Monet's Rock Needle seen through the Porte d'Aval were acquired. Also during his tenure, former NGC Chair Donald Sobey established the Donald and Beth Sobey Chief Curator's Research Endowment to support curatorial research initiated by David Franklin and his team.

In 2009, Dr. Franklin was awarded the Stella della Solidarietà Italiana (Star of Italian Solidarity) by the Republic of Italy in recognition of his knowledge of Italian art and his contribution to its appreciation in Canada. 

The Cleveland Museum of Art is one of the United States' premier arts institutions and is renowned for the breadth and quality of its collections. As its Director, David Franklin will be responsible for all aspects of its management and oversee the completion of a $350 million building renovation and expansion project, due to be completed in 2013.

About the National Gallery of Canada

The National Gallery of Canada is home to the most important collections of historical and contemporary Canadian art in the world, including the extensive collection of the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography. The Gallery also maintains Canada's premier collection of European Art from the 14th to the 21st century, as well as important works of American, Asian and Indigenous Art and renowned international collections of prints, drawings and photographs. Created in 1880, the National Gallery of Canada has played a key role in Canadian culture for well over a century. Among its principal missions is to increase access to excellent works of art for all Canadians. To do so, it maintains the largest touring art exhibition programme in the world. For more information, visit gallery.ca.

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