Museum History

The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography was founded and affiliated with the National Gallery of Canada in January 1985. However, its history can be traced back to World War II (1939–1945), as the Still Photography Division of the National Film Board of Canada. For nearly 5 decades, the Division collected and championed Canadian photography. It built up its collection by assigning photographers to document Canada, its resources and its people. This extensive archive of negatives dating from 1941 to 1962 is now housed at the National Archives of Canada. In the 1960s, the Division established its fine print collection, and started its exhibition and publication program.

The CMCP carried on the Division's legacy, producing major exhibitions and award-winning publications from its offices in an Ottawa government building. Without gallery spaces of its own, it circulated its exhibitions to venues across Canada and abroad. In May 1992, the Museum became a cultural destination in downtown Ottawa, with the opening of a building specially designed to house the collection and showcase its exhibitions.