Prager presents a who's who on canvas

On display until May 26, the show features an array of portraits of Canadian icons such as Pierre Trudeau and Roch Carrier, as well as the artist's recreation of her famous father’s long-lost portrait of Albert Einstein.

Known for their spare application of bright pastel colours, Prager’s unique portraits have been a familiar sight in Westmount for many years. Through her life she has been commissioned to work on portraits of violinist Yehudi Menuhin, chemist Linus Pauling, and Canadian author Pierre Berton among many others. Included in this particular exhibition is a recreation of her father Joseph Oppenheimer’s official portrait of Albert Einstein. The original was destroyed by the Nazis in 1943, a decade after her family left Berlin for London. (They eventually came to Canada in 1949) This recreation is based on her memory of her father's work.

Prager's oil study of Pierre Trudeau is also included beside twin portraits of sons Justin and Alexandre. Other Canadian figures such as astronaut Marc Garneau, author Roch Carrier, former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson and National Ballet founder Celia Franca are also featured. Aside from portraits, she also has exhibited a few landscapes, mostly scenes from her home on Lansdowne Avenue.

Prager, now 94, has work held in numerous private and public collections and is praised equally for her artistic work as well for her humanitarian work with numerous charities. Aside from donating money to charities worldwide, she is the founder and president of the Children for Peace movement, which seeks do promote dialogue amongst children through the pursuit of writing and the arts.

She was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2000 and still resides in Westmount.