Bob Rennie
Encyclopedia
Bob Rennie is a real estate marketer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is the owner and founder of Rennie Marketing Systems, which is Vancouver's largest real estate marketing firm. He is known colloquially as the "condo king"
Rennie is also involved in the art community in Vancouver and throughout North America, and maintains his own art museum in Chinatown’s Wing Sang building.
Rennie chairs the North America Acquisitions Committee (NAAC) at Tate Museum in London
,is a member of the Tate International Council and sits on the Dean's Advisory Board to the Faculty of Arts at the University of British Columbia (since 2006). In recognition of his dedication to the arts and the arts community, he received an honorary doctorate of letters from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in 2008, and was appointed to the university’s Board of Governors in 2009.
, “EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT” (Work No 850). The only Dan Graham Pavilion in Canada also sits on the roof of the museum.
Rennie is also the marketer for condominiums at the former 2010 Olympic Village, a project that has been the subject of controversy and extensive media attention around the project’s financial challenges for several years.
Since 2004, he has accumulated over two hundred parking tickets,all of which have been paid.
Rennie is also involved in the art community in Vancouver and throughout North America, and maintains his own art museum in Chinatown’s Wing Sang building.
Life
Bob Rennie was born in 1956 and raised in East Vancouver. His mother was a homemaker and waitress, and his father a truck driver for Carling Brewery. Rennie started selling East Side homes at the age of 19. He began selling condos in Vancouver in 1990 with Dan Ulinder, forming Ulinder Rennie Project Marketing. In 1997 Rennie bought out Ulinder and established Rennie Marketing Systems.Projects
He has marketed such projects as the Fairmont Pacific Rim, Shangri-La (Vancouver’s tallest tower) and Vancouver's 2010 Olympic Village. Other projects include Woodward’s and One Wall Centre.The Rennie Collection
The Rennie Collection, one of the largest collections of contemporary art in Canada, has evolved since 1972, when the first acquisition was made, to focus on works related to identity, social injustice, appropriation, painting and photography. The collection is dedicated not only to the acquisition of established international artists, but also the work of emerging artists. Currently there are approximately 40 artists collected in depth with about 200 artists in total. The collection, while based in Vancouver is usually spread across the globe, on loan to institutions like Guggenheim New York, MET, Pompidou, Smithsonian and Tate, amongst many others.Rennie chairs the North America Acquisitions Committee (NAAC) at Tate Museum in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
,is a member of the Tate International Council and sits on the Dean's Advisory Board to the Faculty of Arts at the University of British Columbia (since 2006). In recognition of his dedication to the arts and the arts community, he received an honorary doctorate of letters from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in 2008, and was appointed to the university’s Board of Governors in 2009.
The Wing Sang Building
Rennie has a museum in Chinatown's Wing Sang building, the oldest (1889) building in Chinatown. Four years and over $10 million were spent renovating the building to transform the heritage landmark into an exhibit space for the Rennie Collection, open to the public free of charge two days per week. On top of the museum is an art piece by world-renowned artist Martin CreedMartin Creed
Martin Creed is an artist and musician. He won the Turner Prize in 2001 for Work No. 227: the lights going on and off, which was an empty room in which the lights went on and off.-Life and work :...
, “EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT” (Work No 850). The only Dan Graham Pavilion in Canada also sits on the roof of the museum.
Rennie and the Vancouver Art Gallery
Rennie is a vocal opponent to the proposed move of the Vancouver Art Gallery from the current location in Robson Square to a newly-constructed building on the city-owned Larwill Park (formerly the bus depot) next to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. He questions the fiscal responsibility of the move, estimated to cost $400 million, as well as the plan to hire an international architect.Controversy
Rennie has been criticized for trying to gentrify Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, one of the poorest communities in Canada, with the Woodward’s project, which includes 536 condominiums and 200 non-market homes. Critics said that the project pushed residents out and increased rent for the neediest members of the city.Rennie is also the marketer for condominiums at the former 2010 Olympic Village, a project that has been the subject of controversy and extensive media attention around the project’s financial challenges for several years.
Since 2004, he has accumulated over two hundred parking tickets,all of which have been paid.