Research Catalog
Women at the helm : how Jean Sutherland Boggs, Hsio-yen Shih, and Shirley L. Thomson changed the National Gallery of Canada
- Title
- Women at the helm : how Jean Sutherland Boggs, Hsio-yen Shih, and Shirley L. Thomson changed the National Gallery of Canada / Diana Nemiroff.
- Author
- Nemiroff, Diana
- Publication
- Montreal ; Kingston ; London ; Chicago : McGill-Queen\u0027s University Press, [2021]
- ©2021
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| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text | Use in library | N910.O7 N46 2021g | Off-site |
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Details
- Description
- xii, 491 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (black and white, and colour); 25 cm.
- Summary
- "When Jean Sutherland Boggs was appointed to direct the National Gallery of Canada in 1966, she became the first woman to direct a major museum in Canada and the first to direct a national gallery anywhere in the world. The subsequent appointments of Hsio-yen Shih in 1977 and Shirley L. Thomson in 1987 built upon this milestone, creating a remarkable precedent for the Canadian and international museum world. Women at the Helm explores a transformative thirty-year period in the history of an iconic cultural institution through the careers of three directors, their accomplishments, and the challenges they faced. The obstacles to success were many, beginning with an ambitious scheme to centralize the administration of Canada\u0027s four national museums, which diminished the autonomy of the gallery and the authority of its director. In spite of this, as Diana Nemiroff demonstrates, the directors\u0027 many achievements were noteworthy. Boggs\u0027s commitment to excellence and her key role in building a permanent home for the gallery, Shih\u0027s desire to broaden the collections to better reflect the diversity of Canadian peoples, and Thomson\u0027s defence of artistic freedom and the gallery\u0027s arm\u0027s-length relationship with government demonstrate these women\u0027s aptitude at the highest echelons of leadership. From their leadership style to the challenges they overcame and the contributions they made to the institution, Women at the Helm considers the circumstances of these directors\u0027 remarkable tenures and the obstacles still faced by women in leadership roles today."--
- Series Statement
- McGill-Queen\u0027s/Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation studies in art history
- Uniform Title
- McGill-Queen\u0027s/Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation studies in art history.
- Subject
- Genre/Form
- Biographies.
- History.
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 471-480) and index.
- Contents
- The Arrival of Miss Boggs: Warmth, Energy, and Vision -- Riding the Centennial Wave -- Democratization and the Quest for Excellence -- The End of an Era -- The Cosmopolitan Dr Shih -- An Uncertain Centenary -- A New Home for the National Gallery -- The Fall of the National Museums of Canada -- A Jewel in the Country\u0027s Crown -- From Degas to Voice of Fire -- A House of Many Mansions.
- ISBN
- 0228008735
- 9780228008736
- 9780228008729
- 0228008727
- LCCN
- 99989647832
- OCLC
- on1240414568
- 1240414568
- Owning Institutions
- Columbia University Libraries