Oppenheimer-Prager Museum Is A Unique St. Andrews By-The-Sea Gem

Vincent Prager, founder of the Oppenheimer-Prager Museum at Dayspring, never expected he'd run an art museum in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, especially one located in the former home of Lady Beaverbrook.

"It was a few months after Lady Beaverbrook had died, and it had been put on the market," said Prager. "I made my first trip to St. Andrews from Montreal to see it. Because of connections I have with the Beaverbrook Foundation, I had the opportunity to see this incredible home. When I was told the price, I couldn't believe it was so low. When I came back to Montreal, I made an offer and it was accepted the next day."

Although the Oppenheimer-Prager Museum is located in the former home of Lady Beaverbrook, the museum is actually dedicated to displaying over 300 works of art painted by Prager’s mother and grandfather who were known for their impressionist art styles. Additionally, the museum consists of vintage collector’s items and staple pieces associated with the property’s history such as jewelry, interesting correspondence, children’s toys, and classic cars including Lady Beaverbrook’s Land Rover from 1950s England.

"It is very hard explain. It's a gorgeous spot from the architecture to the art work. It's something that doesn't exist anywhere else," said Prager about his museum.

Prager’s grandfather, Joseph Oppenheimer, was a German impressionist artist who co-founded the Berlin Secession - the German Impressionist Exhibition that took place from 1899-1902. Although Oppenheimer loved painting landscapes and floral designs, he was most known for his integration of impressionist techniques in his portraits where only the face resembled classic portraits. Oppenheimer's work was so highly praised that even important figures, such as the Einsteins, sought out his work.

Prager’s mother, Eva Prager, would follow in her father’s footsteps and pursued an arts degree in Paris where she studied under Marc Chagall, an artist who was known for varying radical modernist styles. Despite gaining a lot of inspiration from her father when it came to the muse of her works, Prager incorporated lighter colour palettes, pastels, and in general, far more colour.

The Oppenheimer-Prager museum is located at 44 Acadia Road in St.Andrews, New Brunswick, on the Dayspring property. The museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm until the end of September.