Description
Art in Nova Scotia
The Art Gallery Nova Scotia is the largest Atlantic art museum in Kanada. It is located in two places, one in Halifax and the other in Yarmouth. The museum is especially specialised in regional art offering a varied and wide spectrum.
History of the museum
The gallery was initially founded in 1908 as Nova Scotia Museum of Fine Arts. Since 1988 the collection has been accommodated in the so-called Dominion Building, a building originating in mid 19th century. After several architectural extensions, the artworks are meanwhile exhibited in two different buildings as well as in the free space in between. The two buildings are connected via an underground exhibition space.
Exhibition
In total, the museum contains around 15,000 artworks. The spectrum spans widely from classical portraits up to Inuit art or art deriving from the Nova Scotia region. One part of the museum is dedicated to the permanent exhibition of artworks by the regional artist Maud Lewis. She is one of the best known artists in Kanada. Her work is very special in a way that she only uses colours directly squeezed from the tube. Her paintings deliberately lack mixed colours.
Interesting facts
- The day pass at Art Gallery Nova Scotia is CAD12 making it one of the 5 cheapest tourist Attractions in Canada.
How to get there
The art gallery is located close to the sea along the coast of Halifax and next to the port.
By car
It is not recommended to get here by car as there is unfortunately only a little number of car parks available in the vicinity of the museum.
On foot
As the museum is directly located by the sea, one can have a nice walk along the coast easily getting to the museum.
By public transport
Using any means of public transport, you need to get off at the station “Barrington Street before Prince Street” or “Barrington Street in front of George Street”.