Art Gallery of Ontario - AGO

From a Citizens’ Initiative to Canada’s biggest Museum of Art

In 1900, the Art Museum of Toronto was founded by a group of private individuals. Today, it is called Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and counts to the biggest art museums of North America. The museum complex covers an area of more than 54,000 square meters and includes an art collection of more than 80,000 works. In 2008, the complex of the AGO was expanded by the designs of the globally known architect Frank Gehry.

Containing works from the time before the confederation, the Canadian collection of the museum clearly documents the development of the country’s own art history. It also includes one of the biggest and most beautiful collection of Inuit art and thus is not comparable to any other museum of the world. Also part of the large collection are masterpieces of well-known European artists like Anthony van Dyck, Thomas Gainsborough, Auguste Rodin, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and René Magritte.

At the AGO, you can also find an extensive collection of contemporary art including works from the 1960’s until the present day. It shows the global development of art in all of its mediums, among them paintings, sculptures, works on paper, photography, projected art and installation art. On top of that, as one of the most important art museums of Canada, the AGO organizes a lot of exhibitions on a regular basis. Not only already established artist but also young emerging artists get the chance to present their works to the public.