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Peter Winkworth (1929-2005)
It is with great regret and sadness that I have heard of the passing of Canadian
collector Peter Winkworth, C.M., who did so much to further the goals of Library
and Archives Canada. Peter was a great man - a scholar, a collector, and a dynamic
and energetic human being. His passion for Canada, which he expressed so strongly
in his collections of works of art, books, and objects, was also obvious in his
knowledge of Canadian history, which he shared through his writings, his exhibitions, and through his meetings with interested curators, archivists, and academics. I especially admired his knowledge of his, and my, native city, Montréal, which was so evident in the 1992 McCord Museum exhibition on the 250th anniversary of Montréal, for which so many of the works on display came from the Winkworth Collection. Over the years, so many people told me about his magnetic character, and his ability to attract people of intellect. He will be sorely missed.
Peter Winkworth was born on April 25, 1929. He attended Bishop's College School
in Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada and Wadham College, Oxford, England. As well, he
worked as a stockbroker for a Canadian firm in London, England. His passion for
Canadiana began with his purchase of a set of Canadian prints from his uncle,
John Barnard.
Driven by his new interest, he pursued acquisitions at auctions and through
dealers, mainly in Toronto, Montréal, New York and London. He studied the
Canadian art collections at the National Archives of Canada, the Royal Ontario
Museum and the McCord Museum, where he was made honorary curator of prints. His
knowledge of Canadiana collections is legendary among art curators and archivists.
His expertise in Canadiana prints, a special passion, was formidable.
In the 1970s, he began working as an unpaid consultant, helping to repatriate
many important works of art relating to Canada for major national institutions,
in particular for the National Archives of Canada. Mr. Winkworth was awarded the
Order of Canada (C.M.) in 1983 for his contributions to Canada's cultural heritage.
In 2002, Library and Archives Canada acquired a collection of more than 4,000
works of art from Mr. Winkworth, most of them unique and important visual records
of our country's development. This collection has formed the basis of five travelling exhibitions which will soon be touring across Canada, and can be explored through Library and Archives Canada website at: www.collectionscanada.ca/art/index-e.html.
Our condolences are extended to the family of a man who has made a great contribution to Canada's collective memory.
Ian E. Wilson
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