About ADAC

Who we are

The Art Dealers Association of Canada (ADAC) is a national not-for-profit organization founded in 1966. Our Association is the largest representation of major private commercial galleries in Canada, and our dealers represent the country’s leading artists and deal in works of all periods and media. The ADAC maintains a high standard of connoisseurship and adherence to ethical practice within the profession. Members are selected for their knowledge and scholarship in their respective fields of expertise.

The ADAC undertakes vital programming and professional development initiatives aimed at building a national and international profile for Canadian commercial galleries and the visual arts market. The ADAC also liaises with public galleries, museums and cultural organizations in Canada with a collective goal of advancing the visual arts. ADAC is an active member of the Canadian Museum Association (CMA), and the Ontario Association of Art Galleries (OAAG).

History

In the early 1960’s, a group of art dealers in Montreal decided to form an association that would represent the top dealers in Canada who were committed to setting a standard of professionalism based on respect for one another, their artists and the broader arts community. The association was established to provide a professional platform that would set ethical standards for operating galleries, lobby government on issues affecting the visual arts, and consider the problems of fake, forged and misrepresented art. Their efforts were realized in 1966 when the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) invited a group of dealers to Stanley House, New Brunswick, to discuss establishing a closer liason with the visual arts community. The dealers who attended were: Dolores Booth, Mira Godard, Avrom Isaacs, Walter Moos, and John Robertson. David Silcox, the CCA representative, and Jake Moore, CEO of Brascon and a notable collector, were also present. As a result of this meeting, the vision of the national art dealers association was formed. The association was officially incorporated on September 6, 1966 as the Professional Art Dealers Association of Canada/L’Association professionnelle des galeries d’art du Canada. In 2001, the membership voted to change the name to the Art Dealers Association of Canada / Association des Marchands d’Art du Canada.

Appraisals

For over 30 years the ADAC has offered an Appraisal Service to Canadian cultural institutions receiving fine art donations. More information on ADAC’s Appraisal Service can be found here.