Rideau Hall's Lèse Majesté

The National Post asks what is becoming of Rideau Hall? Indeed. The article below by Julie Smyth is not for the loyalist and constitutionalist faint of heart. The whole thing smacks of Lèse majesté, a conscious endeavor by the governor-general and her staff to downgrade the Queen and our royal history in order to be more "relevant", "modern" and "contemporary" to Canadians. Obviously the governor-general as the personal representative of Her Majesty is not one who should be downplaying the royal connection, undermining the Crown and hollowing out the symbolic power of the monarchy, yet that is exactly what Her Excellency and her staff are doing to further their own particular tastes and agendas. Sticking royal portraits in bathrooms and cloakrooms, segregating British governors-general off to more obscure corners of the official residence and relegating the only image of Her Majesty to the back wall in order to make room for more "edgy" contemporary art is an outrage. The Crown is not some stuffy relic of the past, but an honourable institution that is central to our country's story. Who in the blazes do they think they are?

by Julie Smyth, National Post

Just months after Michaelle Jean took over as Governor-General, she made a change that would begin to alter the look and feel of Rideau Hall. She replaced the showpiece art in the Ballroom, where prime ministers and Cabinet are sworn in and where the country's highest honours, such as the Order of Canada, are handed out at the official residence.

Ms. Jean was visiting The Confederation Centre of the Arts, and spotted a 1964 work by the late Quebec artist Jean Paul Lemieux called Charlottetown Revisited, which represents the Fathers of Confederation and the turning point in Canada's history.

Her choice bumped a 1979 portrait of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh with Parliament Hill in the background. That portrait, also by Mr. Lemieux, is now on the back wall. The switch was made to better reflect Ms. Jean's vision -- she wanted a strong image of Canada.

One shift led to another: A large painting of Queen Victoria that used to be at the back of the Ballroom was relocated to the Tent room, where the Governor-General hosts large dinners. The Ballroom acquired smaller images of Queen Victoria and her husband, which were hung in a corner.

The changes have continued, as a tour this week revealed, and are part of a deliberate effort by Ms. Jean to make the home more relevant, contemporary and a showcase for Canadian work that reflects stories about Canada. But as a result, Ms. Jean, who is an avid art lover, is highlighting paintings that draw less and less on the office's British traditions.

While the governor-general represents the Queen in this country, the increased emphasis on Canada means less on the royal family past or present. The Lemieux portrait is the only one of the Queen on display. "That's it as far as Her Majesty is concerned," said Fabienne Fusade, interpretation and exhibition planner at Rideau Hall. "We really want to create a Canadian interior. So some of the old furniture pieces, part of our history, they are very important, we don't want to get rid of them but ... it is all about Canada."

The changes include a gradual shift to modernize the art that predates Ms. Jean's time in office. No longer in the residence: a more traditional portrait of the Queen, as well as images of the Queen's father, King George VI, and the Queen Mother that once graced the entrance. They are now in the Senate. "They were huge ... and they did not really speak to people. It wasn't relevant any more," says Ms. Fusade. "They had become a bit of an anachronism here. It fit when you thought of the history of the place ... but it did not fit any more with the current role of the Governor-General. That is certainly something that Ms. [Adrienne] Clarkson started to change and with Ms. Jean it has taken a more edgy feeling to it."

Some works by British artists have been put in storage or relocated to other residences by the National Capital Commission, which looks after the Crown collection of art.

Some royal portraits have been moved from a drawing room to near the lower-level staff entrance, cloakroom and public toilets. These include: two portraits of Princess Louise of Prussia, Duchess of Connaught, who was married to the Duke of Connaught, the son of Queen Victoria and the first member of the royal family to become governor- general of Canada, as well as a portrait of Princess Helena, daughter of Queen Victoria.

The paintings have been grouped into a "spouses theme." Portraits of spouses also line the stairwell leading to the area with the public washrooms, which has not amused some wives of former governors-general; the National Capital Commission is trying to compensate by repainting the area to make it a "more prestigious" space.

There is some royal art -- Queen Alexandra and King Edward -- outside the suite for visiting heads of state.

The art collection manoeuvring is one of many ways Ms. Jean is setting a more modern tone; she has established a video blog to discuss art with Canadians, introduced a provocative modern exhibition from Montreal and wants to use the home to celebrate young Canadian artists as much as possible. Even her private quarters are a reflection of a different era at the home -- she has converted a bedroom that once housed a chapel put in by Georges Vanier, a devoted Catholic, into living space to accommodate her young daughter Marie-Eden. The chapel's furniture -- pews, chairs and an altar that are Canadian antiques -- have been relocated to another space designated as an ecumenical chapel. She has also added a swing set in the private back garden for her daughter.

Throughout the home, the art collection has been grouped in themes to reflect her vision, so the large portrait of Queen Victoria is now on show with the portraits of all British-born governors- general, the idea being to keep history in one place. The front entrance of Rideau Hall now showcases portraits of Canadian- born governors-general as a way of making a big impression upon entering the home.

One of the biggest indicators of Ms. Jean's goals is the Ambassadors' Room, a space for rotating art exhibits, which houses the contemporary work of five Quebec artists she selected from the Musee d'art contemporain de Montreal. Some are abstract in nature and one, Vivre aux depens d'autrui, a 2003 work by Michel Boulanger, centres on Disney-inspired cartoons to display more serious messages. The title translates to "Living at the expense of others" and shows a series of characters, including one holding a gun to another's head. Much of the art in the exhibit is provocative and the intent is to stimulate debate.

For her office, Ms. Jean has chosen an abstract piece, also on loan from the Musee d'art contemporain de Montreal ? Paul Emile Borduas' Sans titre (no. 66).

The pine-panelled Pauline Vanier Room, named after the former governor-general's spouse, has been updated with several newer pieces of art. The room, which is used for meetings with visiting heads of state, includes a 1996 work by David Thauberger called Food Shoppe, and a 2001 painting by Charles Pachter called Shadow Barn.

The Reception Room, the oldest room in the residence, which once held portraits of governors-general, is full of Canadian art selected by Ms. Jean, including works by Alberta-born William Kurelek from the 1970s that depict the story of Ukrainian immigrants coming to Canada. There is also a 1991 piece by Vancouver-born Wanda Koop, Untitled #4 (Notes for Prelude to War), of a robot representing the growing role of technology in warfare.

"This is the hub of Rideau Hall ... so it was very important for her to make a strong impression, Also, there are a lot of photo ops that happen here -- to have a portrait as a background is not really great," says Ms. Fusade, "to have contemporary art speaks more about today."

The following is an editorial response in today's National Post

The downgrading of the Queen of Canada and her family at Rideau Hall was reported on by Julie Smyth in Saturday's National Post. Royal portraits have been systematically deported to more obscure positions; some have been moved out of the building altogether.

Rideau Hall is not "Canada's national home," as the Governor- General's Web site now says. It is the home of the representative of Queen Elizabeth, and it is not primarily an art gallery, as the current resident, Michaelle Jean, and her staff seem to think. To be sure, this nationally important house should appeal in various ways to Canadians and also to visitors from abroad. Like all human beings, we have eyes through which our minds, imaginations and sensibilities are shaped. But our lives as visual creatures should not displace our allegiance to our head of state, our constitutional order and our history.

History itself has been demoted and ghettoized, the British-born governors general being ethnically profiled and their portraits grouped with Queen Victoria.

These moves may or may not be stealth republicanism, or an attempted constitutional amendment by curatorial decree. But Ms. Jean and her staff are evidently trying to siphon off the great symbolic power of the monarchy, to further their particular tastes and agendas. If they continue on this path, they will undermine a highly honourable office, and consequently validate the warnings offered by Ms. Jean's detractors at the time she was appointed.