Saskatchewan NAC

Remai Modern

Remai Modern

Remai Modern

The Remai Modern gallery opened in the fall of 2017, and is so named because of large transformative donations made by the Frank and Ellen Remai foundation.

It is a large public art gallery featuring mostly modern and contemporary art, including the world's largest collection of Picasso linocuts.

The gallery was formerly located elsewhere in Saskatoon, and was called the Mendel Art Gallery, established in 1964 by businessman and art collector Fred Mendel (1888-1976). Mendel, who came to Saskatoon in 1940 after fleeing Nazi Germany, had been a supporter of local artists since his arrival. In 1960, he approached Saskatoon's then-mayor Sidney L. Buckwold with his intention to, as he put it, “express my gratitude for the privilege of Canadian citizenship and the friendship and goodwill my family and I have found here. I want to make a gift that will help to enrich the quality of life here for years to come.”

Mendel's donation to the City of Saskatoon (matched by the Province of Saskatchewan) led to the opening of the Mendel Art Gallery in October of 1964. The following year, Mendel donated 13 paintings from his collection, including works by the Group of Seven.

In 2017, the gallery relocated to a new $71-million building and was renamed the Remai Modern. This transformation resulted from a 2011 donation of $30 million by Saskatoon entrepreneur and philanthropist Ellen Remai. The Frank and Ellen Remai foundation then donated 405 linocuts by Pablo Picasso to the Remai Modern -- the most comprehensive Picasso print collection in the world.

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Remai Modern

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