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Canwest News Service
Martin Golland is the beneficiary of $15,000 from Royal Bank of Canada. It is not a loan; there are no strings attached.
Mr. Golland, a painter and professor of painting at the University of Ottawa, was one of a group of 16 artists recognized this year as emerging talent through the RBC Canadian Painting Competition, an annual event sponsored by RBC Financial Group.
As one of the runner-ups, Mr. Golland's oil on canvas is one of three pieces from emerging artists RBC Financial Group added to its collection this year. Mr. Golland's piece will grace one of the offices in the private wealth management arm of RBC.
Impressing high-end patrons with savvy contemporary art on its walls is obviously a smart strategy for a wealth management firm, particularly one that has seen its market share grow in recent years. Wealth management groups have become the last institutional oasis for art.
With real estate at a premium, there is little demand for big banks to add to their square footage of canvas. The art collections already amassed by institutions are significant. RBC, for example, has collected over 4,000 pieces of Canadian art since the early 1900s. Much of it was purchased in the 1960s in Quebec, and the institution again kicked into collecting high gear in the 1980s when it built its headquarters on Toronto's Bay Street.
Beverly Parker, who headed the acquisitions team at the time, went into overdrive buying works by Christopher Pratt, Lawren S. Harris and Jean Paul Riopelle — paintings that are the "highlight" of the bank's exhibitions today, says current RBC curator Robin Anthony.
While the bank's appetite for art has declined over the years, its support for the arts hasn't. Connor Clark, the brokerage firm and money manager, started an Ontario painting competition 11 years ago. When RBC purchased Connor Clark Private Trust nine years ago, it continued the painting competition, expanding it across Canada.
"I think it's important to show our customers and employees who is the voice of artists today," says Ms. Anthony.
Today, the competition is one of the premiere painting competitions in North America, says Mr. Golland. "They are invested in and supporting up-and-coming artists, people who wouldn't have much chance to show their work," he says.
When Mr. Golland made the short list in 2006, his work was part of a touring exhibition across Canada, and he was picked up by the Birch Libralato Gallery in Toronto. Now, as the 2009 runner-up, his status in the art world has been cemented.
Dil Hildebrand, a Montreal artist who won the competition in 2006, is now so successful he can paint full-time, says Ms. Anthony. Both his exhibitions through the Pierre-Francois Ouellette Art Contemporain in Montreal have sold out.
These days, Ms. Anthony has a small budget for works for the new RBC Centre on Toronto's Wellington Street. In addition to a new work from Kristine Moran, Ms. Anthony has also purchased four video works from Adad Hannah, Mark Lewis, Ryan Sluggett and Kevin Schmidt. Although RBC's core collection favours earlier artists, Ms. Anthony is pleased that she's been able to introduce photo-based works and some sculpture into the collection. "I have a wish list," she says.
kmazurkewich@nationalpost.com
