A Life Fully Seen: HomeEquity Bank Marks 40 Years by Sponsoring Richard Avedon's Immortal: Portraits of Aging
As Canada’s original and leading provider of reverse mortgages celebrates four decades of empowering Canadians 55 and better, its sponsorship of The Image Centre exhibition invites audiences to see the wisdom in ageing as something to honour.
For 40 years, HomeEquity Bank has empowered Canadians 55 and better live their greatest years with independence, dignity and choice. Now, as the company marks the milestone of its 40th anniversary, HomeEquity Bank is helping spark a broader conversation about how we see ageing through its sponsorship of the Richard Avedon Immortal: Portraits of Aging exhibition at The Image Centre at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Bringing together nearly 100 portraits by one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century, Immortal captures the beauty and complexity of ageing and empowers audiences to see growing older as something worthy of recognition and celebration.
On view from September 9 to December 5, 2026, Immortal arrives at a moment when faces are routinely filtered and retouched, and when the visible signs of ageing are too often treated as imperfections. Through Avedon’s stark and deeply human portraits of artists, writers, musicians, performers and cultural icons, the exhibition offers a more empowering view that every line, expression and trace of time can reveal experience, resilience, character, and a life fully lived.
For HomeEquity Bank, the sponsorship reflects the purpose that has guided the organization since its founding in 1986. As Canada’s original and leading provider of reverse mortgages, HomeEquity Bank has spent four decades helping Canadians 55 and better access the value in their homes so they can continue living in the places they love, on their terms, with greater confidence, dignity and peace of mind.
“This exhibition speaks to something we believe deeply at HomeEquity Bank: that growing older should be seen as a stage of strength, meaning and possibility,” said Yvonne Ziomecki-Fisher, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, HomeEquity Bank. “For 40 years, we have worked to help Canadians 55 and better live with independence and dignity. Sponsoring Immortal is a powerful way to mark that milestone. Avedon’s portraits do not look away from ageing. They invite us to look closer and to recognize the beauty, complexity and humanity in every life fully lived.”
Curated by Paul Roth, Director of The Image Centre and a leading authority on the life and work of Richard Avedon, the exhibition features portraits of figures including Toni Morrison, Gabriel García Márquez, Duke Ellington, Patti Smith, Truman Capote and the Dalai Lama, among many others. The exhibition is presented in The Image Centre’s free, street-level gallery in downtown Toronto.
“Avedon understood that a face can hold a lifetime of stories,” said Paul Roth, Director of The Image Centre at Toronto Metropolitan University. “We are grateful to HomeEquity Bank for their support of this important exhibition, which contributes to a broader, timely conversation about ageing, visibility, and respect.”
About HomeEquity Bank
HomeEquity Bank (HEB) is the original and leading provider of reverse mortgages in Canada. HEB is a Schedule 1 Canadian Bank offering a range of reverse mortgage solutions, including the flagship CHIP Reverse Mortgage product. The company was founded in 1986 to address the financial needs of Canadians who wanted to access the equity of their top asset — their home. The Bank is committed to empowering Canadians aged 55 plus to live the retirement they deserve, in the home they love. HEB is a portfolio company of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, a global investor that delivers retirement income for 340,000 current and retired teachers in Ontario. For more information, visit www.chip.ca.
About The Image Centre
The Image Centre at Toronto Metropolitan University is Canada’s leading institution dedicated to the exhibition, research and collecting of photography. Located in the heart of Toronto, The Image Centre welcomes visitors to explore the intersection of photography and culture through compelling exhibitions, public programming, a growing collection of nearly 500,000 photographic objects and an innovative scholarly research program. Learn more at theimagecentre.ca.
Source : HomeEquity Bank
