Postcards from the Heart:  Selections from the Brigitte and Henning Freybe Collection

Postcards from the Heart: Selections from the Brigitte and Henning Freybe Collection celebrates the Freybes’ contributions as patrons of the arts, collectors and longtime supporters of the Vancouver Art Gallery. Comprising a selection of more than 30 paintings, sculptures, photographs, films and works on paper, Postcards from the Heart is a tribute to the couple’s deep engagement with modern and contemporary art, and the exhibition reflects the depth of the Freybes’ collecting with works from the 1960s to today.   

The title of this exhibition is inspired by postcards sent to the Freybes from artists who the couple have collected and hosted at their home over the past four decades. These treasured notes are a testament to the centrality of art in their lives—the Freybes are not merely collectors of modern and contemporary art, they have dedicated their lives to art.  Brigitte and Henning began collecting art in the 1970s and continue to buy art today. From the onset, their collection provided a way to connect to their roots (they are both German) and many of the artists hail from Europe, such as Georg Baselitz, Daniel Buren and Giuseppe Penone. Over the last four decades the Freybe’s collection has grown to include some of the most important artists working in the last 50 years, including post-war American artists Robert Rauschenberg and Frank Stella and leading contemporary artists Julie Mehretu and William Kentridge. The couple travelled widely to collect art, but their collection also connects them to their home in Vancouver, with work by major Canadian artists Rodney Graham and Jeff Wall. Connecting the artistic traditions of the West Coast, they have a significant collection of California artists, especially from the Light and Space movement, including Helen Pashgian and John McCracken. While the Freybe collection is diverse and wide-ranging, at its core, it honours the creativity and knowledge that artists produce.

Featured artists: Peter Alexander, Leonor Antunes, Nairy Baghramian, Christian Boltanski, Daniel Buren, Pier Paolo Calzolari, Mary Corse, Tacita Dean, Beau Dick, Tara Donovan, Stan Douglas, Rodney Graham, Alfredo Jaar, Brian Jungen, William Kentridge, Alicja Kwade, Wolfgang Laib, Gordon Matta-Clark, John McCracken, Julie Mehretu, Helen Pashgian, Giuseppe Penone, Jerry Pethick, Robert Rauschenberg, Thomas Ruff, Frank Stella, Wolfgang Tillmans, Lee Ufan and Jeff Wall.