Paul Genest becomes Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Gallery of Canada (NGC). He knows the establishment well, having been vice-president of the board of its foundation.
Mr. Genest has been Senior Vice-President of Power Corporation of Canada since 2016. He was previously Deputy Minister of the Government of Ontario, where he oversaw files in Intergovernmental Affairs and Francophone Affairs. A graduate in philosophy, he taught this discipline at Union College in New York State and at Glendon College at York University in Toronto. He also worked as executive director of the Council of Ontario Universities.
The presidency of the museum’s board of directors was until now occupied by Françoise E. Lyon. Under his leadership, the NGC underwent major transformations aimed at decolonizing the institutional perspective and engaging the museum in diversity reform.
These changes initiated under the previous general management (launched by Alexandra Suda, then led by Angela Cassie) stimulated a crisis which manifested itself in departures and layoffs of professionals as well as strained relations with major collectors. Former director Marc Mayer, who led the Ottawa establishment until 2019, spoke of a “major Canadian cultural tragedy” and a “total mess”.
Calm seems to have returned since the appointment of Jean-François Bélisle, in June 2023, to the position of general director. For seven years he directed the Joliette Art Museum. He committed this establishment to the path of decolonization of perspectives, but without fuss, with tact and diplomacy. It is with Mr. Bélisle that Mr. Genest will now work.
The appointment of the chair of the NGC board of directors is done through a competition under the authority of the Department of Canadian Heritage. “Thanks to his leadership and extensive management experience, Paul Genest will brilliantly lead the board of directors. His ability to lead strategic projects and his commitment to the arts will promote the influence and growth of the Museum,” explained Minister Pascale St-Onge in the press release announcing her choice.
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