Hope & Cope Wellness Centre

The Hope & Cope Wellness Centre, part of the Jewish General Hospital, offers holistic care for people living with cancer, those in remission and caregivers. A converted residence, the centre is built to support and immerse its visitors in a homely atmosphere. Art helps make the centre feel like home rather than a hospital.

Art has a critical role in healing these people, at any age and any stage of the disease.

Sixty-five works of art adorn the three floors of the house, including a number of notable pieces. The collection brings together international artists Alex Katz, David Hockney and Victor Vasarely, as well as Canadians Pierre Ayot, Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Jennifer Hornyak, Arthur Lismer, Alfred Pellan, Michel Piquette, Christopher Pratt, Goodridge Roberts, Susan G. Scott, David Sorensen and Miyuki Tanobe.

The various artistic styles create unique atmospheres in each of the centre’s spaces. In one hallway, the paintings of Miyuki Tanobe, a Quebec painter from Japan, and Victor Vasarely, a Franco-Hungarian visual artist, offer an amusing contrast. Tanobe’s naïve art scenes rub shoulders with the illusions in Vasarely’s op art. 

The works of Canadians David Sorensen, Pierre Ayot and Michel Piquette transform the typically dark basement into a bright, playful place. With the help of carefully designed lighting, abstract pieces treat viewers to an enjoyable burst of colour.  

The stairwells, other often-overlooked places, are embellished by the works of Montrealer Carlito Dalceggio and the reknowned American artist, Alex Katz. While Dalceggio’s piece has an infectious energy, Katz’s work features a more sober atmosphere. The latter’s painting depicts his wife’s unsmiling face. She is pensive or sad, depending on the mood of the person looking at her. The piece was chosen to let visitors experience a more negative emotion, if need be, so that they feel understood and supported through their difficult journey with cancer.

Art can’t erase cancer’s reality. However, it can create an environment that fosters human well-being. It provides a moment of respite when people can focus on the works’ beauty and even learn something.

This collection honours the memory of Miriam Pinchuk, our founder’s mother, who died of cancer in 2016. She was a dedicated volunteer, from its inception in 1981 and a donor for many years. Her commitment is now memorialized thanks to a commemorative plaque installed at the centre.