A Much-Appreciated Gift

An Exceptional Work

Over the years, the Oratory Museum has enriched its collections primarily through donations. In 2024, the sanctuary was fortunate to acquire a work by the renowned artist Miyuki Tanobe. A Japanese-born painter who has lived in Quebec since the early 1970s and the recipient of many prestigious awards, her work is displayed in Japan, Europe, and North America.

 

 

The painting offered by Madame Émilie Corbeil to the Oratory depicts… the Oratory!

Typical of the Japanese painting style that defines Tanobe’s work, nihonga, the painting represents a day in the life of the sanctuary during the summer and tourist season, specifically on August 3, 2009. Tourists and pilgrims can be seen, on foot, by car, or by bus, joyfully taking in the site.

 

 

A Complex Process

The acquisition of an artwork by the museum is a multi-step process that spans several weeks, months, or even years… In this case, the donor first contacted the Oratory Museum with a donation proposal in 2022. The museum’s direction/conservation team made the first contact and then began thorough research. The donation proposal was transferred to the collections registrar, who completed and followed up on the file. In this case, the museum team deemed it important to visit the artwork in person. The donation proposal was then submitted to the museum’s acquisition committee, which accepted the gift.

The collections registrar contacted the donor to inform her of the decision, organized the signing of the donation agreement, and arranged for the transportation of the painting to the museum. Upon receipt, the artwork was inventoried by the collections registrar, photographed by the museology technician, and assigned a place in the museum’s reserves. The museology technician ensured that the artwork was stored under optimal conservation conditions (in this case, a custom-made Coroplast box). Finally, Miyuki Tanobe’s work was selected by the project manager to be part of the opening exhibition of the new pavilion at the Oratory, starting on February 14, 2025!

 

Sincere Thanks

A big thank you to all the members of the museum team (Émie Morneau-Viel, collections registrar; Sébastien Desmarais, museology technician; Alexis Roy, project manager; and Maryse Ménard, researcher and documentation specialist) for their involvement in this acquisition process.

And especially, thank you to all our donors, particularly Émilie Corbeil, as well as the artists, with special thanks to Miyuki Tanobe, for their interest in Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount-Royal!