Ash K. Prakash D.F.A., is a philanthropist and scholar of Canadian art.

Career

After completing his studies at the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...

and the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, and later

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, Ash Prakash emigrated to Canada in 1968, settling in Ottawa by 1970. Here he worked in the federal government of Canada for 25 years, becoming the Executive Director and Principal Advisor on Information Management to the

Queen's Privy Council for Canada The 's Privy Council for Canada (french: Conseil privé du Roi pour le Canada),) during the reign of a queen. sometimes called Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal consultants to the ...

and the

Office of the Prime Minister (Canada) The Prime Minister's Office (PMO; french: Cabinet du Premier minister; french: CPM, label=none) is the political arm of the staff housed in the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council building that supports the role of the prime minister o ...

as well as serving in the Office of the Leader of Government in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

and Royal Commissions of Inquiry. He also advised the

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal i ...

for the Arts, the

Canadian Broadcasting Company The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

in Ottawa;

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Teheran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most populo ...

and

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

; and the

United Nations Development Program The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

. Upon leaving public service, he moved to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

in 1995, and entered the art world to become one of Canada's foremost art dealers guiding the formation of some of North America's major art collections, along with a number of corporate and private art collections. Such as the Thomson Collection (

Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; french: Musée des beaux-arts de l'Ontario) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The museum is located in the Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, on Dundas Street West between McCaul and Beve ...

), as well as to The Sobey Art Collection,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, to

, Paris, as well as private collections.

Publications

He has articles and books on Canadian art, among them ''Canadian Art: Selected Masters from Private Collections'' (2003), ''Independent Spirit: Early Canadian Women Artists'' (2008), a celebration of work by women artists who changed the face of Canadian art, and ''Impressionism in Canada: A Journey of Rediscovery'' (2014), called “astonishingly comprehensive” by one reviewer. It was a best seller on Amazon and a second edition was published by Arnoldsche Art Publishers, Stuttgart.

Philanthropy

In 2012, he established the A. K. Prakash Foundation with the following goals: to advance scholarship on historical Canadian Art, and to promote Canadian medical expertise in increasing global access to health.

Art

The Foundation has sponsored numerous exhibitions and publications in major art galleries across Canada and abroad in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Some of the major Canadian exhibitions included, among others, ''Painting Canada: Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven'' (

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the l ...

), ''Into the Light: The Paintings of William Blair Bruce (1859-1906)'' ( Art Gallery of Hamilton), ''From the Forest to the Sea: Emily Carr in British Columbia'' (

), ''Modernism in Montreal: The Beaver Hall Group'' (

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA; french: Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, MBAM) is an art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest art museum in Canada by gallery space. The museum is located on the historic Golden Square ...

), ''James Wilson Morrice: The A.K. Prakash Collection in Trust to the Nation'' (National Gallery of Canada), and ''Canada and Impressionism: New Horizons'' (National Gallery of Canada). In 2021, he funded an exhibition of a collection of bronzes by Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, Alfred Laliberté, and Louis-Philippe Hébert that he gave to the Musée d’art de Joliette. In 2015, the

received 50 works by

James Wilson Morrice James Wilson Morrice (August 10, 1865 – January 23, 1924) was one of the first Canadian landscape painters to be known internationally. He studied at the Académie Julian in Paris, France, where he lived for most of his career. James Morrice S ...

, which Prakash acquired work by work since the early 1980s and regarded as the heart of his collection, valued at more than $20 million. The A.K. Prakash Foundation, founded by Prakash, made the donation in honour of the artist's 150th birthday. Prakash made the following announcement:

"The collection represents a governing force of my life's work. It is my gift to Canada donated in the hope that Morrice will inspire and enrich the lives of my fellow citizens and help remind us that Canadian art stands with the best in the world."

In honour of the gift, in 2015, the National Gallery named a gallery for Prakash and made the Morrice paintings part of a re-launch of the permanent collection in 2017, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the confederation of Canada.

Medical

Prakash also founded The A.K. Prakash Fellowship in International Medicine. Annual Fellowships are awarded to medical graduates from the Global South to train under surgeons in the Faculty of Medicine at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

and then return to their home countries to build and strengthen clinical care and education.

president

Meric Gertler Meric Slover Gertler is a Canadian academic, who is the 16th and current president of the University of Toronto since 2013. Previously, he served as dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science at the university from 2008 to 2013. Gertler is an urb ...

said of the foundation:

"The Prakash Fellowships provide a wonderful example of the power of philanthropy in the advancement of the University of Toronto as a major force for good in our world"

Dr.

James Rutka James Rutka (born January 14, 1956) is a Canadian neurosurgeon from Toronto, Canada. Rutka served as RS McLaughlin Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto from 2011 – 2022. He s ...

's chair of the department of surgery said of the fellows:

"Many of them are establishing training programs and clinical centres and meeting urgent patient needs in their countries."

Past A.K. Prakash Fellowship in International Medicine Fellows

* Dr. Faith Muchemwa, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon, Harare, Zimbabwe * Dr. James A. Balogun, Neurosurgeon, Nigeria * Dr. Tihitena Negussie Mammo, Pediatric Surgeon, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia * Dr. Hanna Getachew Woldeselassie, Pediatric Surgeon, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia * Dr. Samuel Hailu Teweldemedhin, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2015-2016 * Dr. Andrew Perry, Breast Cancer Surgeon, Trinidad & Tobego * Dr. Geletaw Tesema Bekele, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia * Dr. Grace Muthoni Thiong'o, Pediatric Neurosurgeon, Kenya, 2017-2018 * Dr. Tewodros Tilahun Zerfu, Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia * Dr Lyronne Kelson Christopher Olivier, Breast Cancer Surgery, Trinidad & Tobago * Dr. Priyank Yadav, Paediatric Urology, India * Dr. Misgana Temesgen Workneh, Orthopaedic Surgery, Ethiopia * Dr. Mnewar Yirga Ahmed, Orthopaedic Surgery, Ethiopia * Dr. Peace Ifeoma Amaraegbulam, Orthopaedic Surgery, Umuahia, Nigeria * Dr. Ncedile Mankahla, Paediatric Neurosurgery, Cape Town, South Africa * Dr. Gabriela Alejandra Buerba Romero-Valdés, Breast Cancer Surgery, Mexico * Dr. Funmi Wuraola, Breast Cancer Surgery, Nigeria

Honours

* Citation for "Loyal Service to the Government and People of Canada" by The Right Honourable

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. Born and raised in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Chrétien is a law graduate from Uni ...

, Prime Minister of Canada, 1997 * Dedication of “Ash K Prakash Gallery” by The

, 2015 * Distinguished Patron of the

, 2016 * Doctor of Fine Art ''(honoris causa)'' Awarded by The

Nova Scotia College of Art and Design NSCAD University, also known as the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design or NSCAD, is a public art university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university is a co-educational institution that offers bachelor's and master's degrees. The uni ...

University, 2017 * Member of

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

, Awarded by The Governor General of Canada, 2019 *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prakash, Ash 1946 births Living people Canadian art collectors Canadian art dealers Haas School of Business alumni University of Michigan alumni Harvard University alumni Indian emigrants to Canada Members of the Order of Canada People from Ambala