Shirley Thomson
Shirley Thomson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Shirley Lavinia Cull February 19, 1930 |
| Known for | Civil servant |
| Awards | Order of Canada, Order of Ontario |
Shirley Lavinia Thomson, CC OOnt (née Cull; February 19, 1930 – August 10, 2010) was a Canadian civil servant.
Born in Walkerville, Ontario,[1] she received a B.A. degree in history in 1952 from the University of Western Ontario. In 1974, she received a M.A. degree in art history from the University of Maryland, College Park. In 1981, she received a Ph.D. degree in art history from McGill University.
From 1982 until 1985, Thomson was Director of the
Thomson was responsible for the 1990 purchase by the National Gallery of Canada of the controversial abstract expressionist painting Voice of Fire by Barnett Newman.[4] Both an art administrator and art lover, she believed that art was essentially for the public and should therefore be supported publicly.[5]
Death
On August 10, 2010, Shirley Thomson died of a heart attack at her home in Ottawa. She was 80 years old.[3]
Honours
- In 1993 she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 2001.
- In 2002 she was made an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters. She had previously been a chevalier of the order.
- In 2003 she was awarded a Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa from Carleton University.
- In 2005 she was awarded an Honorary Degree from University of British Columbia.
- During 2008, she was a Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts recipient.[6]
- In 2010 she was made a Member of the Order of Ontario.[7]
Following her death her medals were donated to the St. Mary's Museum in
Sources
- "Bio of Dr. Shirley Thomson". St. Marys Public Library. Archived from the original on January 4, 2005. Retrieved April 26, 2005.
References
- ^ Elizabeth Lumley, ed. (2006). Canadian Who's Who. p. 1310.
- ^ "Dr. Shirley Thomson - Former director of the National Gallery of Canada andiconic figure in the arts leaves a lasting legacy". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
- ^ a b Martin, Sandra (August 13, 2010). "A rich mind helped direct Canada's culture", The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
- ^ Martin, Sandra (December 11, 2002). "A tireless champion of the arts". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
- ^ Simpson, Jeffrey (August 13, 2010). "Shirley Thomson lived a life in and of the arts". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
- ^ "Inuit artist, Quebec filmmaker win Governor General's Awards for visual arts". CBC News. 25 March 2008. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ "29 Appointees Named To Ontario's Highest Honour". Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration. 2010-01-25. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
External links
| International | |
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| Other | |
