70-533: The Vancouver Art Gallery ( VAG ) is an art museum in Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada. The museum occupies a 15,300-square-metre-building (165,000 sq ft) adjacent to Robson Square in downtown Vancouver , making it the largest art museum in Western Canada by building size. Designed by Francis Rattenbury , the building the museum occupies was originally opened as a provincial courthouse, before it
140-449: A collaboration of museums and galleries that are more interested with the categorization of art. They are interested in the potential use of folksonomy within museums and the requirements for post-processing of terms that have been gathered, both to test their utility and to deploy them in useful ways. The steve.museum is one example of a site that is experimenting with this collaborative philosophy. The participating institutions include
210-486: A collection of indigenous Canadian art from the region, including works from Haida , Heiltsuk , Inuit , Kwakwakaʼwakw , Nuu-chah-nulth , Nuxalk , and Tlingit artists. Regular acquisitions of indigenous Canadian works was undertaken by the museum beginning in the 1980s; with the museum's practices prior to the 1980s typically leaving the acquisition of indigenous Canadian works for the collections of ethnographic, or history museums. In 2015, George Gund III bequeathed to
280-545: A design competition in 1905. The building was opened as a provincial courthouse in 1911, and operated as such until 1979, with the provincial courts moved to the Law Courts south of the building. The building was designated the Former Vancouver Law Courts National Historic Site of Canada in 1980. Both the main and annex portions of the building are also designated "A" heritage structures by
350-433: A major factor in social mobility (for example, getting a higher-paid, higher-status job). The argument states that certain art museums are aimed at perpetuating aristocratic and upper class ideals of taste and excludes segments of society without the social opportunities to develop such interest. The fine arts thus perpetuate social inequality by creating divisions between different social groups. This argument also ties in with
420-402: A number of online art catalogues and galleries that have been developed independently of the support of any individual museum. Many of these, like American Art Gallery, are attempts to develop galleries of artwork that are encyclopedic or historical in focus, while others are commercial efforts to sell the work of contemporary artists. A limited number of such sites have independent importance in
490-601: A repository for art for the region, the museum holds a number of works by artists based in the Lower Mainland, in addition to artists based in other regions of British Columbia. The museum's collection includes works from Canadian artists, including members of the Group of Seven , Gathie Falk , Michael Snow , and Joyce Wieland . The museum's collection also features a significant number of works by Emily Carr , dating from 1913 to 1942. The painting Totem Poles, Kitseukla , by Carr,
560-536: A result from the gallery's need for more exhibition and storage space for its collections. In November 2007, the museum announced plans to move to seek the approval of Vancouver City Council to build a new building at Larwill Park . In May 2008, the municipal government and the museum announced plans to relocate around the Plaza of Nations . However, Vancouver City Council later reversed its decision in April 2013, opting to approve
630-415: A sculpture hall, a lecture hall, and a library. The cost to construct the building was approximately CA$ 40,000 . Works by British, and other European artists dominated the works exhibited at the museum at the time of its opening. In 1938, the museum was one of the buildings occupied by unemployed protesters during a sitdown strike in the weeks leading up to Bloody Sunday . Paintings were not damaged while
700-513: A section of the public. In classical times , religious institutions began to function as an early form of art gallery. Wealthy Roman collectors of engraved gems and other precious objects, such as Julius Caesar , often donated their collections to temples. It is unclear how easy it was in practice for the public to view these items. In Europe, from the Late Medieval period onwards, areas in royal palaces, castles , and large country houses of
770-604: A series of rooms dedicated to specific historic periods (e.g. Ancient Egypt ) or other significant themed groupings of works (e.g. the gypsotheque or collection of plaster casts as in the Ashmolean Museum ) within a museum with a more varied collection are referred to as specific galleries, e.g. Egyptian Gallery or Cast Gallery . Works on paper, such as drawings , pastels , watercolors , prints , and photographs are typically not permanently displayed for reasons of conservation . Instead, public access to these materials
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#1732837904052840-524: A transition to the former provincial courthouse premises, with the relocation being completed in 1983. Subsequently, in the late 2000s and 2010s, the museum initiated plans for a further relocation to a new facility situated in Larwill Park . The Gallery's permanent collection serves as a repository of art for the Lower Mainland region, and has approximately 12,000 works by artists from Canada, and around
910-418: A venue for other cultural exchanges and artistic activities, such as lectures, jewelry, performance arts , music concerts, or poetry readings. Art museums also frequently host themed temporary exhibitions, which often include items on loan from other collections. An institution dedicated to the display of art can be called an art museum or an art gallery, and the two terms may be used interchangeably. This
980-462: Is a non-circulating library that specializing in modern, contemporary and Canadian art. Its holdings include more than 50,000 books and exhibition catalogues, 30 journal subscriptions, 5,000 files that document various artists, art forms, and works. Access to the museum's library and archives require a scheduled appointment. The museum's archives contain the institution's official records since its founding in 1931. In addition to institutional documents,
1050-460: Is a step sometimes used in the formal process of procuring a product or service, for example by a government agency. It is typically used as a screening step to establish a pool of vendors (businesses or individuals to provide a product or service) that are then qualified, and thus eligible to submit responses to a request for proposals (RFP). In this two-step process, the response to the RFQ will describe
1120-416: Is also sometimes used to describe businesses which display art for sale, but these are not art museums. Throughout history, large and expensive works of art have generally been commissioned by religious institutions or political leaders and been displayed in temples, churches, and palaces . Although these collections of art were not open to the general public, they were often made available for viewing for
1190-512: Is formally owned by the City of Vancouver, with the museum acting as the custodians for the collection under a lease and license agreement. The permanent collection acts as the principal repository of works produced in the Lower Mainland region, with museum acquisitions typically focused on historical and contemporary art from the region. Approximately half of the works in its collection were produced by artists from Western Canada . In addition to art from
1260-559: Is provided by a dedicated print room located within the museum. Murals or mosaics often remain where they have been created ( in situ ), although many have also been removed to galleries. Various forms of 20th-century art, such as land art and performance art , also usually exist outside a gallery. Photographic records of these kinds of art are often shown in galleries, however. Most museums and large art galleries own more works than they have room to display. The rest are held in reserve collections , on or off-site. A sculpture garden
1330-823: Is reflected in the names of institutions around the world, some of which are considered art galleries, such as the National Gallery in London and Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin , and some of which are considered museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo . The phrase "art gallery"
1400-557: Is similar to an art gallery, presenting sculpture in an outdoor space. Sculpture has grown in popularity with sculptures installed in open spaces on both a permanent and temporary basis. Most larger paintings from about 1530 onwards were designed to be seen either in churches or palaces, and many buildings built as palaces now function successfully as art museums. By the 18th century additions to palaces and country houses were sometimes intended specifically as galleries for viewing art, and designed with that in mind. The architectural form of
1470-534: Is the first project for the architectural firm in the country. Perkins and Will 's Vancouver branch was contracted as the project's executive architects. The building was originally planned to be completed in 2020, and was named the Chan Centre for the Visual Arts after a major donor. However, developments for the project stalled due to a funding dispute between the federal and provincial governments. As of March 2023,
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#17328379040521540-502: Is to shape identity and memory, cultural heritage, distilled narratives and treasured stories. Many art museums throughout history have been designed with a cultural purpose or been subject to political intervention. In particular, national art galleries have been thought to incite feelings of nationalism . This has occurred in both democratic and non-democratic countries, although authoritarian regimes have historically exercised more control over administration of art museums. Ludwig Justi
1610-653: The British Museum was established and the Old Royal Library collection of manuscripts was donated to it for public viewing. In 1777, a proposal to the British government was put forward by MP John Wilkes to buy the art collection of the late Sir Robert Walpole , who had amassed one of the greatest such collections in Europe , and house it in a specially built wing of the British Museum for public viewing. After much debate,
1680-738: The Guggenheim Museum in New York City by Frank Lloyd Wright , the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao by Frank Gehry , Centre Pompidou-Metz by Shigeru Ban , and the redesign of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art by Mario Botta . Some critics argue these galleries defeat their purposes because their dramatic interior spaces distract the eye from the paintings they are supposed to exhibit. Museums are more than just mere 'fixed structures designed to house collections.' Their purpose
1750-551: The Guggenheim Museum , the Cleveland Museum of Art , the Metropolitan Museum of Art , and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art . There are relatively few local/regional/national organizations dedicated specifically to art museums. Most art museums are associated with local/regional/national organizations for the arts , humanities or museums in general. Many of these organizations are listed as follows: Request for qualification A request for qualifications ( RFQ )
1820-670: The Musée du Louvre during the French Revolution in 1793 as a public museum for much of the former French royal collection marked an important stage in the development of public access to art by transferring the ownership to a republican state; but it was a continuation of trends already well established. The building now occupied by the Prado in Madrid was built before the French Revolution for
1890-622: The Renwick Gallery , built in 1859. Now a part of the Smithsonian Institution , the Renwick housed William Wilson Corcoran 's collection of American and European art. The building was designed by James Renwick Jr. and finally completed in 1874. It is located at 1661 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Renwick designed it after the Louvre's Tuileries addition. At the time of its construction, it
1960-553: The mystification of fine arts . Research suggests that the context in which an artwork is being presented has significant influence on its reception by the audience, and viewers shown artworks in a museum rated them more highly than when displayed in a "laboratory" setting Most art museums have only limited online collections, but a few museums, as well as some libraries and government agencies, have developed substantial online catalogues. Museums, libraries, and government agencies with substantial online collections include: There are
2030-532: The 17th century onwards, often based around a collection of the cabinet of curiosities type. The first such museum was the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford , opened in 1683 to house and display the artefacts of Elias Ashmole that were given to Oxford University in a bequest. The Kunstmuseum Basel , through its lineage which extends back to the Amerbach Cabinet , which included a collection of works by Hans Holbein
2100-612: The 18th century. In Italy, the art tourism of the Grand Tour became a major industry from the 18th century onwards, and cities made efforts to make their key works accessible. The Capitoline Museums began in 1471 with a donation of classical sculpture to the city of Rome by the Papacy , while the Vatican Museums , whose collections are still owned by the Pope, trace their foundation to 1506, when
2170-578: The 1950s to the present, and includes photos by the N.E. Thing Co. artist collective , photographers of the Vancouver School of conceptual photography, and other artists including Dan Graham , Andreas Gursky , Thomas Ruff , Cindy Sherman , Robert Smithson , and Thomas Struth . The museum's collection of contemporary Asian art includes works by Eikoh Hosoe , Mariko Mori , Fiona Tan , Jin-me Yoon , Reena Saini Kallat , Song Dong , Wang Du , Wang Jianwei , Yang Fudong , and O Zhang . Serving as
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2240-401: The 1970s, a number of political theorists and social commentators have pointed to the political implications of art museums and social relations. Pierre Bourdieu , for instance, argued that in spite the apparent freedom of choice in the arts, people's artistic preferences (such as classical music, rock, traditional music) strongly tie in with their social position. So called cultural capital is
2310-653: The Marxist theory of mystification and elite culture . Furthermore, certain art galleries, such as the National Gallery in London and the Louvre in Paris are situated in buildings of considerable emotional impact. The Louvre in Paris is for instance located in the former Royal Castle of the ancient regime , and is thus clearly designed with a political agenda. It has been argued that such buildings create feelings of subjugation and adds to
2380-527: The Younger and purchased by the city of Basel in 1661, is considered to be the first museum of art open to the public in the world. In the second half of the 18th century, many private collections of art were opened to the public, and during and after the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars , many royal collections were nationalized, even where the monarchy remained in place, as in Spain and Bavaria . In 1753,
2450-433: The active lending-out of a museum's collected objects in order to enhance education at schools and to aid in the cultural development of individual members of the community. Finally, Dana saw branch museums throughout a city as a good method of making sure that every citizen has access to its benefits. Dana's view of the ideal museum sought to invest a wider variety of people in it, and was self-consciously not elitist. Since
2520-584: The archives also includes files from B.C. Binning , and the books and serials where Bill Bissett's concrete poetry was published. The Vancouver Art Gallery offers a wide range of public programs throughout the year, including live performances marketed under the FUSE program, scholar's lectures, artist's talks, as well as dance and musical performances. In its most recent year, the gallery has featured over 60 presenters, including historian Timothy Brook , writer Sarah Milroy, and Emily Carr scholar, Gerta Moray. In May 2015,
2590-418: The art world. The large auction houses, such as Sotheby's , Bonhams , and Christie's , maintain large online databases of art which they have auctioned or are auctioning. Bridgeman Art Library serves as a central source of reproductions of artwork, with access limited to museums, art dealers , and other professionals or professional organizations. There are also online galleries that have been developed by
2660-403: The building are popular gathering spots for protest rallies. The Georgia Street side is also a popular place in the summertime for people to relax or socialize. In February 12, 2007, the 2010 Olympic countdown clock was placed in the front lawn of the building. It was open for free for the public to see. The clock has since been disassembled after the games, with one half going to BC Place and
2730-448: The building began in 1906 and replaced the previous courthouse at Victory Square . At the time, the building contained 18 courtrooms. An annex designed by Thomas Hooper was added to the western side of the building in 1912. It was declared a heritage site and retains the original judges' benches and walls as they were when the building was a courthouse. A notable feature of the building is a pair of granite lions, placed on either side of
2800-410: The building from the provincial government. Before the re-purposed building was opened to the public, it was renovated by architect Arthur Erickson at a cost of CA$ 20 million, as a part of his larger three city-block Robson Square redevelopment. The gallery connects to the rest of Robson Square via an underground passage below Robson Street . Planning to relocate the museum began as early as 2004,
2870-449: The building, the building was renovated for museum use, and as a part of Arthur Erickson's redevelopment of Robson Square. The Annex Building is the only part of the building complex that was not converted for museum use. The design of the building includes ionic columns , a central dome , formal porticos , and ornate stonework. The building was constructed using marble imported from Alaska , Tennessee , and Vermont . Construction for
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2940-469: The company or individual's general qualifications to perform a service or supply a product but generally will not include specific details or price proposals. For the procurer, an RFQ provides a pre-screening step, so at the request for proposal phase there are fewer proposals to evaluate. The Request for Qualifications thus becomes a means by which the purchasing agency can add vendors to their select sellers list, i.e. list of vendors eligible to bid. For
3010-690: The entire building solely intended to be an art gallery was arguably established by Sir John Soane with his design for the Dulwich Picture Gallery in 1817. This established the gallery as a series of interconnected rooms with largely uninterrupted wall spaces for hanging pictures and indirect lighting from skylights or roof lanterns . The late 19th century saw a boom in the building of public art galleries in Europe and America, becoming an essential cultural feature of larger cities. More art galleries rose up alongside museums and public libraries as part of
3080-484: The founder of the Newark Museum , saw the traditional art museum as a useless public institution, one that focused more on fashion and conformity rather than education and uplift. Indeed, Dana's ideal museum would be one best suited for active and vigorous use by the average citizen, located near the center of their daily movement. In addition, Dana's conception of the perfect museum included a wider variety of objects than
3150-526: The gallery welcomed architect Jacques Herzog as he presented his first lecture in Canada on architecture and the new Vancouver Art Gallery building. Art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art , usually from the museum 's own collection . It might be in public or private ownership, be accessible to all, or have restrictions in place. Although primarily concerned with visual art , art museums are often used as
3220-544: The grander English country houses could be toured by the respectable for a tip to the housekeeper, during the long periods when the family were not in residence. Special arrangements were made to allow the public to see many royal or private collections placed in galleries, as with most of the paintings of the Orleans Collection , which were housed in a wing of the Palais-Royal in Paris and could be visited for most of
3290-806: The idea was eventually abandoned due to the great expense, and twenty years later, the collection was bought by Tsaritsa Catherine the Great of Russia and housed in the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg . The Bavarian royal collection (now in the Alte Pinakothek , Munich) was opened to the public in 1779 and the Medici collection in Florence around 1789 (as the Uffizi Gallery). The opening of
3360-527: The join line is still visible. The culprits were never found. The front lawn and steps of the building has hosted a number of public gatherings and protests. The building serves as the monthly meeting spot for Vancouver's Critical Mass , as well as flash mobs , the Zombie Walk , pro- marijuana rallies, and numerous environmental demonstrations. The steps on both the Robson Street and Georgia Street sides of
3430-461: The largest category of art museums in the country. While the first of these collections can be traced to learning collections developed in art academies in Western Europe, they are now associated with and housed in centers of higher education of all types. The word gallery being originally an architectural term, the display rooms in museums are often called public galleries . Also frequently,
3500-513: The municipal drive for literacy and public education. Over the middle and late twentieth century, earlier architectural styles employed for art museums (such as the Beaux-Arts style of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City or the Gothic and Renaissance Revival architecture of Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum) succumbed to modern styles , such as Deconstructivism . Examples of this trend include
3570-484: The municipal government. The Vancouver Art Gallery moved into the former courthouse in 1983. The Centennial Fountain on the Georgia Street side of the building was installed in 1966 to commemorate the centennial of the union of the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia ; although it was later removed in 2017 as part of the Georgia Street plaza renovations. Shortly after the provincial courts moved out of
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#17328379040523640-464: The museum 37 First Nations works, including totem poles by Ken Mowatt and Norman Tait , drawings by Bill Reid , and thirteen carved works by Robert Davidson . Other works in the museum's indigenous Canadian collection includes works by Sonny Assu , Rebecca Belmore , Dempsey Bob , Dana Claxton , Joe David , Reg Davidson , Beau Dick , Brian Jungen , Marianne Nicolson , and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun . The Vancouver Art Gallery Library and Archives
3710-550: The new building's cost is estimated at $ 400 million. As of March 2023, the museum has raised over $ 340 million from public and private sources. Over $ 190 million was raised through private donations, including a $ 40 million contribution from the Chan Foundation in 2019 and a $ 100 million donation from the Audain Foundation in 2021. The latter was the largest cash donation to a Canadian public art museum. Groundbreaking for
3780-424: The new museum building occurred on 15 September 2023. The Vancouver Art Gallery has organized and hosted a number of temporary, and travelling exhibitions . A select list of exhibitions held at the museum since 2005 include: The art museum is in the former provincial courthouse for Vancouver. The 15,300-square-metre (165,000 sq ft) neoclassical building was designed by Francis Rattenbury after winning
3850-517: The old entrance to the courthouse. They were carved from granite chunks brought from Nelson Island and placed in their current location in 1910. On November 4, 1942, two dynamite blasts damages the rear end of the western lion. The blasts also shattered the windows of surrounding hotels and cause some people to believe the city was under air attack. Two stonecutters who had worked on the original carvings and who were still working, John Whitworth and Herbert Ede, were hired to carve and fit new hindquarters;
3920-598: The original proposed site in Larwill Park. The museum would occupy the building under similar arrangements as the former courthouse, with the museum leasing the property from the City of Vancouver. The museum issued a request for qualifications for a new building design in September 2013. Herzog & de Meuron 's bid was selected by the museum in April 2014. The development of the Vancouver Art Gallery's new building
3990-538: The other to Whistler Village . In June 2021, Cheryle Gunargie created a vigil in honour of the unmarked remains of children discovered at the Kamloops Indian Residential School . The vigil consists of 215 pairs of shoes, one for each of the children whose remains were discovered. As of December 2018, the Vancouver Art Gallery's permanent collection had approximately 12,000 works by Canadian, and international artists. The museum's permanent collection
4060-401: The protesters occupied the building. In 1950, the museum conducted renovations to its building, reshaping the design of the building towards an International Style of architecture; with the removal of the building's Art Deco facade. Renovations were also conducted to accommodate the 157 works bequeathed to the museum by Emily Carr , with the building reopened to the public in 1951. Cost for
4130-567: The public a decade later in 1824. Similarly, the National Gallery in Prague was not formed by opening an existing royal or princely art collection to the public, but was created from scratch as a joint project of some Czech aristocrats in 1796. The Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. is generally considered to have been the first art museum in the United States. It was originally housed in
4200-458: The public display of parts of the royal art collection, and similar royal galleries were opened to the public in Vienna , Munich and other capitals. In Great Britain, however, the corresponding Royal Collection remained in the private hands of the monarch, and the first purpose-built national art galleries were the Dulwich Picture Gallery , founded in 1814 and the National Gallery, London opened to
4270-565: The recently discovered Laocoön and His Sons was put on public display. A series of museums on different subjects were opened over subsequent centuries, and many of the buildings of the Vatican were purpose-built as galleries. An early royal treasury opened to the public was the Green Vault of the Kingdom of Saxony in the 1720s. Privately funded museums open to the public began to be established from
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#17328379040524340-407: The region, the collection also has a focus on First Nations art, and art from Asia. The museum's collection is organized into several smaller areas, contemporary art from Asia, photography and conceptual photography, works by indigenous Canadian artists from the region, and artists from Vancouver and British Columbia . The museum's photography and conceptual art collection includes photographs from
4410-491: The renovation was approximately CA$ 600,000 , funded by the City of Vancouver government, and funds raised by Lawren Harris . In 1983 the museum was relocated to its present location, the former provincial courthouse. The building continues to be owned by the Government of British Columbia , although the museum occupies the building through a 99-year sublease signed with the City of Vancouver government in 1974; who in turn leases
4480-559: The social elite were often made partially accessible to sections of the public, where art collections could be viewed. At the Palace of Versailles , entrance was restricted to people of certain social classes who were required to wear the proper apparel, which typically included the appropriate accessories, silver shoe buckles and a sword , could be hired from shops outside. The treasuries of cathedrals and large churches, or parts of them, were often set out for public display and veneration. Many of
4550-399: The traditional art museum, including industrial tools and handicrafts that encourage imagination in areas traditionally considered mundane. This view of the art museum envisions it as one well-suited to an industrial world, indeed enhancing it. Dana viewed paintings and sculptures as much less useful than industrial products, comparing the museum to a department store. In addition, he encouraged
4620-577: The world. As of 2020, the museum holds seasonal exhibitions as well as hosts travelling exhibitions . In April 1931, the Vancouver Art Gallery Association was established under the provincial Society Act , in order to establish and maintain a museum for the City of Vancouver. The Association opened the art museum to the public at 1145 West Georgia Street on 5 October 1931. The building was designed by architectural firm Sharp and Johnston, and featured four galleries, one of which included
4690-535: Was among the original set of works acquired for the museum's collection prior to opening in 1931. As of 2023, the museum has over 250 works by Carr. The permanent collections of the Vancouver Art Gallery, along with the collections of the National Gallery of Canada , hold the largest number of works by Carr of any collection in the world. In December 2023, the museum officially acknowledged 10 of its Group of Seven J.E.H. MacDonald oil sketches, acquired in 2015, as forgeries, with an exhibit. The museum's also features
4760-554: Was for example dismissed as director of the Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery) in Berlin in 1933 by the new Nazi authorities for not being politically suitable. The question of the place of the art museum in its community has long been under debate. Some see art museums as fundamentally elitist institutions, while others see them as institutions with the potential for societal education and uplift. John Cotton Dana , an American librarian and museum director, as well as
4830-615: Was known as "the American Louvre". University art museums and galleries constitute collections of art developed, owned, and maintained by all kinds of schools, community colleges, colleges, and universities. This phenomenon exists in the West and East, making it a global practice. Although easily overlooked, there are over 700 university art museums in the US alone. This number, compared to other kinds of art museums, makes university art museums perhaps
4900-506: Was re-purposed for museum use in the early 1980s. The building was designated the Former Vancouver Law Courts National Historic Site of Canada in 1980. The museum first opened its doors to the public in 1931, housed within a structure crafted by the architectural firm Sharp and Johnston. In 1950, the museum underwent its initial expansion within this original building. Later, the institution embarked on
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