The Sonnabend Collection *Temporarily Closed*

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Gilbert & George, "BERRIES," 1985

12 panels, 241 x 150 cm. Courtesy of Antonio Homem and the Sonnabend Collection Foundation. © Gilbert & George

Temporarily Closed

After careful consideration and until further notice, Remai Modern will close in an effort to help mitigate risks to the public related to the spread of COVID-19. This closure takes effect Tuesday, March 17 and includes all events and programs at the museum. We will reopen and resume public events as soon as it is safe to do so. In the meantime, we ask for your patience as we assess the evolving situation and react accordingly. 

In the interim, we will continue sharing stories online about art and artists, both here and abroad. We will also continue planning inspiring and engaging future programming. While our staff continues to work both at the office and remotely, we would be happy to answer any questions you have related to our COVID-19 response or any other matters related to Remai Modern.

The museum will be in contact with people who have purchased tickets to upcoming events shortly.

Thank you for your understanding as we work to keep our employees, volunteers, artists and visitors safe. As a non-profit arts organization, we are grateful for your ongoing support. We look forward to welcoming you back when we reopen with a full slate of inspiring exhibitions and programs.

The Sonnabend Collection at Remai Modern features more than 100 pieces by 67 artists, including iconic works by Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons and Candida Höfer, among many others.

This will be the Collection’s first exposure in Canada, and its most comprehensive presentation to date in North America. Developed through the vision of influential art dealer Ileana Sonnabend (1914-2007), her husband Michael Sonnabend (1900-2001), and their adopted son Antonio Homem, the Collection is among the most significant private holdings of modern and contemporary art in the world.

Through their galleries in Paris and New York, the Sonnabends established an international presence and fostered creative exchanges and new audiences for American artists in Europe and vice versa. Often, they championed artists early in their careers. They anticipated and influenced developments in art including Pop, Minimalism, Conceptualism, Nouveau Réalisme, Arte Povera, Neo-Expressionism, Neo-Geo, Photo Conceptualism and beyond.

The exhibition is curated by Homem and organized by Remai Modern in partnership with the Sonnabend Collection Foundation. Homem will share his experience of working alongside Ileana Sonnabend in a talk at the museum on October 5 at 2 PM.

A parallel program on opening weekend showcases two performances by avant-garde dancer, choreographer and filmmaker Yvonne Rainer, on October 5 at 7 PM and October 6 at 2 PM. Now in her 80s, Rainer continues to provoke and surprise. Continuous Project: Sixty Years was created this autumn specifically for Remai Modern and marks her first performances in Saskatchewan. It is a work in which — as the title suggests — Rainer has disinterred and re-combined ideas from a long life in the field of dance.

Rainer’s work often intersected with the works of artists on view in the exhibition. This is a rare opportunity to see one of the most important artists working in dance of the past half-century.

The Sonnabend Collection at Remai Modern gives viewers the opportunity to explore seven decades of artistic development through a wide variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, performance and photography. From Pop to Minimalism to Neo-Geo, the exhibition offers insight not only into how artists were inspired by one another, but how they often broke the conventions of the styles and movements that came before them.

The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue, which is available at Remai Modern’s Art & Design Store and remaimodern.org. Visitors can also learn more about the exhibition at visitsonnabend.ca.