The Gairdner Foundation was created in 1957 by James Arthur Gairdner (1893-1971). Known as Big Jim to his grandchildren, he was, indeed, a larger than life figure. Described by his friends as a talented maverick and visionary, Gairdner was a colorful personality who lived large. He was, by turns, an athlete, a soldier, a stockbroker, a businessman, a philanthropist and a landscape painter. When he died, he left his private estate to the Town of Oakville as an art gallery, which still operates today.