French
DeutschHelen Gardiner
Helen Gardiner | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 18, 1938 Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | July 22, 2008 (aged 70) Caledon East, Ontario, Canada |
| Resting place | Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto |
| Occupation(s) | Art Collector, Philanthropist |
| Known for | Gardiner Museum |
| Spouse | George R. Gardiner |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Order of Canada (2007) |
Helen Elsie Elizabeth Gardiner[1] CM (née McMinn) (July 18, 1938 – July 22, 2008) was a Canadian philanthropist and co-founder of the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art in Toronto, Ontario.
Biography[edit]
Helen Gardiner was born in 1938 in the Northern mining town of Kirkland Lake to a working family. She later moved to Toronto where her father was employed by General Electric.[2] In 1974, she began attending York University as a mature student, and in 1979, she travelled to London, England to study at Christie's Education.[3]
Helen was married to prominent Toronto businessman George R. Gardiner, with whom she co-founded the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art.[4] Between 1976 and 1984, George and Helen built a distinctive collection of approximately 1,200 objects in a few carefully selected areas that were collected in depth: ancient Central and South American vessels and figures; tin glazed pottery of the Italian Renaissance; seventeenth-century English pottery; and eighteenth-century European porcelain.[5]
In 1981, the Ontario government unanimously passed Bill 183 to establish the George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art as an independent, public institution.[6] It was officially opened in 1984 on the grounds of Victoria University, Toronto.[5] "George and I built the museum and gave our collection to the people of Canada, but it was our hope that the Gardiner Museum would contribute in a meaningful way to the understanding and appreciation of ceramic art worldwide."[7]
Helen was awarded the Order of Canada in 2007.
She died of pancreatic cancer in 2008 at her home in Caledon.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ "George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art Act". www.ontario.ca. Queen's Printer for Ontario. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Knelman, Martin (22 July 2008). "Cultural philanthropist Helen Gardiner dies | Toronto Star". thestar.com. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
- ^ a b Martin, Sandra (22 July 2008). "Helen Gardiner, 70". The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ Montgomery, Alexandra (2002). The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art. The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art. pp. 8–9. ISBN 0-9699386-6-7.
- ^ a b Chilton, Meredith (2001). Harlequin Unmasked: The Commedia dell'Arte and Porcelain Sculpture. The George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art with Yale University Press. p. 4. ISBN 0-300-09009-9.
- ^ Montgomery, Alexandra (2002). The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art. The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art. p. 9. ISBN 0-9699386-6-7.
- ^ Gardiner, Helen (2002). The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art. The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art. p. 7. ISBN 0-9699386-6-7.
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