Ottawa, July 31, 2001

The National Archivist of Canada, Mr. Ian E. Wilson, is pleased to announce that Dr. Lilly Koltun has been named interim Director of the Portrait Gallery of Canada.

Dr. Koltun has been at the National Archives of Canada since 1976, and has worked in a wide variety of areas connected with her expertise in the history of art. From her position as a photo-archivist, she entered management as Chief of the Photography Acquisition and Research Section, followed by the directorship of the Documentary Art and Photography Division. During that period, she successfully established both the Canadian Postal Archives and the Canadian Museum of Caricature, and negotiated several major acquisitions, notably that of the Yousuf Karsh studio. After her return from educational leave in 1995, she took on the duties of Director General, Policy Branch and Archives Headquarters Accommodation Project (later known as Project Archives Place of the Future), supervising work on the completion of the Gatineau Preservation Centre. Following departmental re-organizations, she became Director General of the Preservation Branch, while continuing her work on the National Archives’ strategic accommodation projects.

Dr. Koltun’s educational background includes an Honours B.A. in art history from the University of Toronto, an M.A. from the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London, England, and a PhD in art history from St. Andrews University, Scotland, where her thesis dealt with the history of Canadian photographic portraiture. She has authored some thirty articles and publications; notably, she edited the book, Private Realms of Light, Amateur photography in Canada, 1839-1940, which has become a standard reference work. She has been involved in several consultancies and has also frequently been invited to teach and to speak, in Canada, the United States and numerous other countries, on topics relating to the history, interpretation and management of art, photography and visual materials, including film. In 1985-86, she was Visiting Professor in the graduate archival studies program at the University of British Columbia, and for many years she has been a Graduate Supervisor and Adjunct Research Professor in art history at Carleton University in Ottawa.

The Portrait Gallery of Canada, officially announced by the Honourable Sheila Copps, Minister of Canadian Heritage, on January 23, 2001, will offer visitors from Canada and around the world an unparalleled opportunity to see portraits of Canadians from all walks of life who have contributed to building this country. The National Archives of Canada has been collecting documentary art and photography for more than a century, and this collection provides a unique testimony to Canada’s past and present. Interested readers can visit the Portrait Gallery of Canada Web site.

The Portrait Gallery of Canada, now under the interim directorship of Dr. Lilly Koltun, is expected to open the doors to its new home at 100 Wellington Street in Ottawa, a fine heritage structure directly opposite Parliament Hill, in 2004-2005.

For more information, please contact:
Louisa Coates, Media Relations Officer
National Archives of Canada
Telephone: (613) 992-9361
E-mail: media@lac-bac.gc.ca