Fed board rejects Leibovitz collection
• A federal board has rejected the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia’s application to certify a multimilliondollar collection of iconic photographs by famed American artist Annie Leibovitz as “cultural property” of outstanding significance.
The decision is a major blow to the Halifax gallery, which has held the famous portraits in storage for four years, and casts a shadow over the prospects of organizing an exhibit of the photographer’s works.
A gallery spokesman says the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board concluded that the bulk of the photographs did not meet the criteria for “outstanding significance” or “national importance,” crucial for tax incentives for the Toronto family that donated the collection to the gallery.
Colin Stinson says the gallery is “extremely disappointed” and disagrees with the federal board’s decision, noting that Leibovitz is one of the most influential photographers of her time.
The collection includes a portrait of a naked and pregnant Demi Moore, a brooding Queen Elizabeth II, and the haunting photo of a naked John Lennon and Yoko Ono cuddling on a floor hours before the musician was gunned down in front of his New York apartment.
It was the gallery’s fourth attempt at certification, and officials have said it is likely their last because of time constraints.
Stinson says the gallery’s priority is to display the photography, but without the designation that decision belongs to Leibovitz.
Part of the reason the panel won’t approve is because it does not accept a $20 million valuation for a collection that the donor purchased for just $4.75 million.
Harley Mintz, a Deloitte Canada partner, now retired, who bought the Leibovitz material in 2013 has vigorously disputed a characterization by an adviser to the panel who referred to the financial deal as a “tax grab.”
“We were asked,” Mintz said in an email to the New York Times, “to help facilitate a major gift to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia that would provide it with a unique collection of art from one of the world’s most praised photographers and that is exactly what we did. Instead of being celebrated, it has been met with resistance, for reasons that we do not understand.”
The Times reported that Mintz was the second businessman to consider buying the collection for the museum.
The first, Larry Rossy — founder of the discount retail chain Dollarama — dropped out in 2012 after beginning the application process for a tax shelter, according to the CBC.
Mintz, who said he was approached about the gift a few weeks later, said the opportunity attracted him because his mother had been a big fan of Leibovitz.