Heritage Ottawa 2019 Phillips Memorial Lecture

O.J. and Isobel Firestone were passionate collectors of Canadian art. In the early 1950s, they embarked upon a collection that would grow to more than 1,600 works by noted Canadian artists, spanning the modern era from 1890 to 1985.

To complement their growing art collection, in 1960 Dr. Firestone worked with architects Sam Gitterman and George Bemi to design a landmark modernist home for his family in Ottawa’s Rockcliffe Park. Both the home and collection were generously donated by the Firestones to the Ontario Heritage Trust, (then the Ontario Heritge Foundation) which in 1992 transferred ownership to the City of Ottawa.

Today, the Firestone Collection of Canadian Art is permanently housed at the new Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG). While the family home no longer stands, its original modernist staircase is installed in the OAG where it leads, poetically, to the Firestone Gallery.

Join Heritage Ottawa for an evening with Brenda Firestone as she shares stories about the history of her family’s home and significant collection of Canadian artworks.

The talk will conclude with an opportunity to visit the Firestone Gallery and converse with Ms. Firestone.