The Hudson’s Bay Company, Canada’s oldest company, is at a turning point. The museum is attempting to auction off its very large and impressive collection of art and artifacts. The firm was established in 1670 with a royal charter from King Charles II. Its remarkable collection of over 2,700 artifacts includes historic paintings, point blankets, archival documents, and even collectible Barbie dolls. This auction comes as part of the company’s ongoing creditor protection case, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This has experts worried about the future accessibility of these culturally and historically significant items.
Hudson’s Bay’s collection is comprised of nearly 1,700 pieces of art, all of which have immense historical and cultural significance. In 2007, UNESCO made these assets an international UNESCO Memory of the World. It is the biggest recognition of their crucial importance in Canadian history. The Manitoba Museum now cares for the collection. It boasts some 27,000 pieces donated by Hudson’s Bay back in 1994.
Hudson’s Bay is preparing to seek court approval for the auction. At the same time, our museums and cultural institutions are having a hard time just obtaining fair representations of these artifacts. Adam Zalev, an expert in cultural heritage, stated that various parties, including government and quasi-governmental institutions, museums, universities, and wealthy individuals have expressed interest in the collection. He pointed out public access to all of this is critical.
“Several parties also expressed their desire to have the art collection made available for public viewing in a museum or other public institution.” – Adam Zalev
Outside of this interest, the reality is still quite grim for Canadian archival institutions. Most of all, they are fighting against chronic underfunding. This hampers their capacity to compete for important collections, like the Hudson’s Bay collection. Tara Deschamps focuses on the importance of accountability for these controversial artifacts.
“We generally expect that the records of governments are accountable to the people who live within those places and are a part of those histories.”
As shelter experts such as Matt Groat, Senior Policy Advisor for Homelessness at the U.S. They argue that Canada has no legislative tool to prevent significant historical artifacts from going into private hands.
“There is zero legislative mechanism in the country to keep this charter out of private hands at this point in time,” – Groat
Groat elaborated that archival institutions have previously made serious, concerted efforts to create a collective resource to acquire vital collections for Canada. Yet this practice is uncommon due to funding limitations.
“The reality is archival institutions in Canada do not have money,” – Groat
Far more than just an art collection is at stake. They believe that all of those pieces should be easily accessible to the very public that paid for them. Professionals across the field emphasize that it is simply inexcusable for Canadians not to have access to their cultural history.
“It’s really important…we hold the Hudson’s Bay Company and whoever hands it comes into accountable.”
As the auction date approaches, alarm is mounting. Hudson’s Bay, along with the institutions currently clamoring to receive its artifacts, are justifiably concerned about the financial repercussions. As she considered the worth of that collection, Groat related,
“It could go to auction for quite a significant amount of money,” – Groat
With restrictive Canadian cultural export policies, any sale to foreign buyers could be further delayed. These regulations are designed to protect the nation’s cultural heritage but may complicate the auction process for Hudson’s Bay.
