Visit the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) to contemplate works by diverse artists such as Kenojuak Ashevak, Clarence Gagnon, Claude Monet, Jin-me Yoon, Kent Monkman and many others
OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 26, 2025 /CNW/ - Until March 22, 2026, the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) presents Winter Count: Embracing the Cold, its first exhibition of Indigenous, Canadian settler and European art. It brings together perspectives on winter's impact across diverse cultures and artistic expressions. The exhibition features 164 works, of which 48 are drawn from the Gallery's collection, including recent acquisitions, some of which have never been shown.
The exhibition includes clothing, paintings, sculptures, textiles and works on paper by 102 artists from the early 19th century to the present day. These include Kenojuak Ashevak, Clarence Gagnon, Lawren S. Harris, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Jin-me Yoon and Kent Monkman.
"From time immemorial, communities across these lands have faced the challenge of winter with determination and creativity. Winter Count invites us to explore these shared experiences," said Jean-François Bélisle, Director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada. "We are thrilled to present this major exhibition, the first collaborative project between our curatorial teams of Canadian art, European art, and Indigenous Ways and Decolonization."
"Power Corporation of Canada is proud to collaborate with the National Gallery of Canada on Winter Count: Embracing the Cold, a vibrant, exciting and emotionally impactful exhibition that illuminates a key dimension of the Canadian experience and identity: winter," said Paul C. Genest, Senior Vice-President at Power Corporation of Canada. "This exhibition enriches our understanding about winter by presenting a dynamic dialogue amongst Canadian, European and Indigenous artists of the very first rank. The works are simply stunning."
Winter Count: Embracing the Cold is curated by Katerina Atanassova, Senior Curator, Canadian Art; Wahsontiio Cross, Associate Curator, Indigenous Ways and Decolonization; Anabelle Kienle Ponka, Ph.D., Senior Curator, European, American, and Asian Art; and Jocelyn Piirainen, Associate Curator, Indigenous Ways and Decolonization, at the National Gallery of Canada.
The exhibition encompasses North America, Europe and the circumpolar regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Greenland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. It delves into concepts of tradition, identity and heritage in multiple ways:
- Historic Indigenous belongings are juxtaposed with works by contemporary Indigenous artists like Inuit printmaker Pitseolak Ashoona and Cree artists Duane Linklater and Kent Monkman, highlighting ancestral knowledge, storytelling and contemporary critique.
- Exploring connections between foremost Canadian painters who went abroad such as Maurice Cullen, M.A. de Foy Suzor-Côté, and J.W. Morrice and French Impressionists Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro, it focuses on their diverse approaches to capturing the effects of snow.
- It highlights a shared visual language among Canadian artists like J.E.H. MacDonald and Lawren S. Harris and their Scandinavian counterparts who inspired them.
The exhibition's title, Winter Count, refers to the tradition of the Indigenous nations from the Plains like the Lakota of visually recording the most significant event of each year onto a buffalo hide or a cloth. Over time, the winter count served as a record of survival and as a means of storytelling, preserving memories and ensuring cultural continuity--values that resonate throughout this exhibition.
Winter Count: Embracing the Cold relied on the generosity of numerous museums and institutions in Canada, the United States and Europe as well as corporate and private collections, whose loans support the story of winter across time and cultures. International lenders include the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, The Städel Museum, Frankfurt; the National Gallery, London; and the Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen.
The National Gallery of Canada acknowledges with gratitude lead sponsor Power Corporation of Canada and supporting sponsors Armstrong Fine Art Services and VIA Rail Canada. The Gallery also thanks the National Gallery of Canada Foundation, donors Don and Sheila Pether and the Government of Canada. These commitments made this exhibition possible.
Catalogue
A richly illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition. The 304-page hardcover book contains 165 images and features essays by the curators. Available at the Boutique and online the week of December 1.
Public programs
The exhibition closes with an interactive space offering winter-themed books and materials found in the artworks that visitors can touch, such as sealskin, beaver fur and soapstone. An art-making station and videos of Canadians from across the country talking about their experiences of winter complete the experience.
Visitors are invited to join the curators on fascinating tours of Winter Count: Embracing the Cold on February 5 and February 19 at 6 p.m. as part of the Gallery's Free Thursday Nights Presented by BMO. Storytellers will share their winter-theme stories on February 21 and 28 in the Auditorium. These events will be livestreamed on Zoom, allowing audiences from across Canada and beyond to attend. Visit gallery.ca for more details.
If Winter Count sparks your imagination, you won't want to miss the Canadian Museum of History's exhibition River of Dreams – Impressionism on the St. Lawrence, on view until August 30, 2026. It features more than 70 works by Quebec Impressionists from a century ago. Journey down the St. Lawrence River through their eyes and encounter a landscape alive with colour, light, and atmosphere--a world and culture captured at the very moment of transformation. For more information, visit historymuseum.ca
About the National Gallery of Canada
Founded in 1880, the National Gallery of Canada is among the world's most respected art institutions. As a national museum, we exist to serve all Canadians, no matter where they live. We do this by sharing our collection, exhibitions and public programming widely. We create dynamic experiences that allow for new ways of seeing ourselves and each other through the visual arts, while centering Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Our mandate is to develop, preserve and present a collection for the learning and enjoyment of all--now and for generations to come. We are home to more than 90,000 works, including one of the finest collections of Indigenous and Canadian art, major works from the 14th to the 21st century and extensive library and archival holdings.
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SOURCE National Gallery of Canada
For all media requests, please contact: Josée-Britanie Mallet, Senior Media and Public Relations Officer, National Gallery of Canada, [email protected]; Pénélope Carreau, Public Relations Officer, National Gallery of Canada, [email protected]
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