Manitoba art gallery caught with Nazi ties
Management is conducting an internal investigation.
Qaumajuq Gallery in Winnipeg has decided to sever ties with Ferdinand Eckhardt, its former director, after information surfaced about his possible involvement with the Nazi Party in the 1930s.
Eckhardt, who moved to Canada in 1953 and ran the gallery until 1974, was found to have written material for Nazi publications and sworn to Hitler, according to a November 2023 article in The Walrus.
In response to these allegations, Qaumajuq management, according to current director Stephen Borys, has initiated a thorough internal investigation:
"… that included reviewing the Gallery’s archives, researching the recently released files at the Manitoba Archives, and taking actions to examine related German-language materials."
Also announced was an additional study of the provenance of artworks received by the gallery during Eckhardt's directorship. The main goal of this study is to ensure that works confiscated by the Nazis are returned to their rightful owners or their heirs.
The investigation into Eckhardt is ongoing, and as the gallery's statement emphasized, this work is "part of a continued journey towards equity, decolonization, and reconciliation – in all its forms". The ex-director's name is already missing from the gallery's lobby and website.
Ferdinand Eckhardt passed away in 1995, leaving behind a complex legacy, now being reassessed.
