O-2152

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painting (portrait)

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The Honourable Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott

Portrait of Prime Minister John Abbott

The portrait of Prime Minister John Abbott was painted by Muli Tang in 2002, more than 100 years after Abbott’s death, using historial photographs for inspiration. Its comparatively modern posing sets a determined looking Abbott against a neutral, sand-coloured background, with the edge of an embroidered chair his only visible support. Abbott, from Saint-André-d'Argenteuil, Quebec, became Prime Minister when John A. Macdonald died in office in 1891. He too left office due to ill health after 18 months and died less than a year later. Though his career saw scandalous times, he was a key figure in the building of the cross-Canada railway.

Muli Tang

Montreal-based artist Muli Tang was born in Shanghai in 1947 into a family of creative artists. His brother Muhai Tang is a conductor who has led some of the world’s great orchestras. Their father Xiaodan Tang was a respected film director whose 1976 movie Unforgettable Battle once moved an aged, ailing Chairman Mao to tears.

Tang began painting as a child in state-run cultural centres. He was sent to a dairy-farm commune during the Cultural Revolution. The great turmoil ended his dream of being a scientist, and saw his father beaten and jailed. Tang saw painting as an escape, and today his work is celebrated around the world.