After asserting that the National Gallery of Canada is an independent institution, Pablo Rodriguez said he told Mr.me Lyon of his “deep concern” about the events in progress in this museum which has just started a procedure of decolonization of its management and its programming and has proceeded to the dismissal of important executives.
“I asked him for a quick response on the solutions that the Board of Directors intends to put forward,” said the Minister, who added that he was worried about the prevailing climate at the NGC and wanted the Board to “explain what happens “.
In recent days, actors in the Canadian art world, such as the former director of the NGC, Marc Mayer, the collector Pierre Lassonde or curators and art historians such as Diana Nemiroff, have expressed their amazement at the how the NGC is currently run, asking for clarification.
Despite several requests from the media, the chair of the board of directors, Françoise Lyon, a Montreal businesswoman who holds the position of president and senior partner of the private equity firm DGC Capital, refused any interview to explain why , on November 17, the museum fired Deputy Director and Chief Curator Kitty Scott, Curator of Indigenous Art Greg Hill, Director of Curatorial and Technical Research Stephen Gritt, and Senior Manager Communications, Denise Siele.
The museum refuses to provide explanations for these dismissals, advancing a confidentiality policy and putting forward the application of a strategic plan that aims to “decolonize” the museum institution.