ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO (AGO) AND MONTREAL MUSEUM
OF FINE ART (MMFA)

ASSIGNMENT

To raise $500,000 in corporate sponsorship for Gauguin to Matisse:
French Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum, Russia. The exhibition was jointly produced by the AGO and the MMFA, marking the first collaboration between the two institutions in 50 years. Gauguin to Matisse opens at the AGO October 12, 2003.
Prior to this assignment, A&C was hired to secure $300,000 in sponsorship for the previous Hermitage show at the AGO: Rubens and His Age.

CHALLENGE

In the months that followed 9/11, corporate philanthropy was frozen and decision-makers were wary of making significant non-operational investments. The cautious
climate made the acquisition phase of this contract uniquely challenging. Furthermore, Gauguin to Matisse was the second in an AGO-organized series of exhibitions from the Hermitage Museum, which (despite the singularity of the works being featured in this collection) was perceived by some to be a “repeat”. The first in the series, Rubens and His Age, appeared at the AGO exclusively.

SOLUTION

A&C’s particular strength lies in our ability to identify new sources of funding from different environments, and to persuade these potential sponsors to move forward with a large sponsorship. In this case, TD Waterhouse signed on as Lead Sponsor (Toronto), in association with SAP Canada (Toronto and Montreal), achieving the fundraising goal.
Gauguin to Matisse represents the first major foray into the arts for both TD
Waterhouse and SAP Canada. A&C was also successful in securing the sole lead sponsorship of Rubens and His Age from Goldman Sachs Canada. A&C planned and executed the gala hospitality events surrounding each show on behalf of TD Waterhouse and Goldman Sachs.