Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography (CMCP) (Le Musée canadien de la photographie contemporaine (MCPC)) was a gallery of Canadian contemporary art and documentary photography. Founded in 1985 and affiliated to the National Gallery of Canada (NGC), it was housed at the National Gallery of Canada, located at 380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa. The CMCP did not have a permanent home until it moved to its purpose-built site at 1 Rideau Canal in 1992.
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
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- Name
- Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
- Founded
- 1985
- Headquarters
- Ottawa
- Dissolved
- 2009
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Documentary summary
The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography (CMCP) (Le Musée canadien de la photographie contemporaine (MCPC)) was a gallery of Canadian contemporary art and documentary photography. Founded in 1985 and affiliated to the National Gallery of Canada (NGC), it was housed at the National Gallery of Canada, located at 380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa. The CMCP did not have a permanent home until it moved to its purpose-built site at 1 Rideau Canal in 1992.
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In this article
Overview
Overview
The Pavilion entrance building, which was opened on May 7, 1992, was originally proposed by architect Michael Lundhom, who adapted an old railway tunnel running alongside the Chateau Laurier. The museum ultimately was designed and executed by architects Rysavy Rysavy. The glass and concrete entrance from the street, reminiscent of the colonnade leading into the National Gallery, lead patrons down to the main part of the museum which was located below street level. Its founding director and chief curator was Martha Langford, who held those positions from 1985 until 1994. In 2009 it was announced that the CMCP, which had been closed temporarily in 2006, would be permanently closed. Its collections and program of exhibitions were absorbed by the National Gallery of Canada. In 2016, the CMCP's photographic collection was folded into the newly created Canadian Photography Institute (CPI).
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography • Established — 1985 • Dissolved — 2009 • Location — within National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • Type — gallery • Website — www.gallery.ca
Closure
Closure
On March 29, 2009 it was announced that the CMCP, which had been closed temporarily in 2006 due to a leak, would be permanently closed for conversion to committee rooms. Its collections and program of exhibitions have since been absorbed by the National Gallery of Canada. A campaign to maintain the CMCP at its purpose-built site was unsuccessful. The exhibitions are now showcased at the National Gallery of Canada. As of 2016, the CMCP's photographic collection has been folded into the newly created Canadian Photography Institute (CPI).
Affiliations
Affiliations
The Museum was affiliated with: National Gallery of Canada, CMA, CHIN, and Virtual Museum of Canada.
Institutional history
Dated record
Institutional history
Explore 1985–2009
The full dated record · 5 entries
1985
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography established.
1985
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography is recorded from 1985.
1985
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography was established or created on 1 January 1985.
2009
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography ceased.
2009
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography was dissolved or ceased in 2009.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Canada
Collection
Collection
The foundation of the CMCP's collection were a selection of photographs from the Still Photography Division of the National Film Board of Canada. By 2005, it held about 160,000 photographic works including many works by significant Canadian artists and photographers.
Context
Primary material
Context
The circumstances in which Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography stands. Recorded at coordinates 45.4251, -75.6953. Established or created on 1 January 1985. Dissolved or ceased in 2009. Photography has its headquarters at Ottawa. Located at Sussex Drive. Situated in Canada. Photography lies within Ontario.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2355659: Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 5043328-3, Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography.
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.National Film Board of Canada, Still Photography Division, p 15-16.
- 2.National Gallery of Canada Annual Report 2007-2008. (PDF). National Gallery of Canada. 2008.
- 3.Save the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography building from the bureaucrats!. Postcards from the Mothership.
- 4.Save the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography - CMCP Open Letter - CARFAC. CARFAC. May 14, 2009.
- 5."The National Gallery of Canada will consult with the photographic artists community on the future of the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography", April 8, 2009. http://seopanel.escybermuse.beaux-arts.ca/en/about/623.php
- 6.Canadian Photography Institute aims to be a centre of photographic study, display.
- 7.Online petition . See also community discussion at https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/pgns-members/r3H2dmY69Ic and http://neditpasmoncoeur.blogspot.ca/2009/03/rumour-canadian-museum-of-contemporary.html
- 8.http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/canadian-photography-institute-1.3339738 and "Not only does the institute, financed in part by Scotiabank, include more than 50,000 prints and 145,000 negatives from the NGC's existing holdings and those of the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography (which upon its closing in 2009 was amalgamated with the NGC)" quoted from 'Canadian Photography Institute aims to be a centre of photographic study, display', August 26, 2016 Globe and Mail https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/art-and-architecture/canadian-photography-institute-a-great-coming-together-of-resources/article31513827/
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 5043328-3, Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolvedreference work
“Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further readingWikipedia
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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