Exhibition depicts Canada’s prime ministers with majesty and mischief
HALIFAX — It’s John Diefenbaker as you’ve never seen him — standing on a chair, an intricate miniature statue of the 13th prime minister in a quirky exhibition that captures 150 years of Canadian political history.
Canada’s 23 prime ministers are presented with both majesty and mischief at the exhibit at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia to mark the country’s 150th birthday. It features artwork in a variety of mediums — from paintings and engraved stamps to editorial cartoons and statues and even cash money.
“I really fear that kids today don’t get much history,” said Dianne O’Neill, a curator at the gallery. “This exhibit at least gives people an introduction to Canada’s prime ministers and maybe suggests some of the excitement that is in our past.”
The gallery largely relied on its own collection, but got creative with prime ministers in the 20th century “simply because the formal drawings and prints just don’t happen anymore,” said O’Neill.