Art Gallery of Ontario: Canada's Artistic Heart

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is one of North America's largest and most distinguished art museums, housing a collection of over 120,000 works that spans from the first century to the present day. Dramatically redesigned by Frank Gehry in 2008—who grew up in the Toronto neighborhood surrounding the museum—the AGO combines world-class collections with architecture that is itself a work of art, featuring the stunning Galleria Italia, a 600-foot glass and wood promenade that has become an icon of Toronto's skyline.

What makes the AGO particularly significant is its unparalleled commitment to Canadian and Indigenous art. The museum holds the world's most comprehensive collection of Canadian painting—including the definitive collection of Group of Seven landscapes, Emily Carr's powerful Pacific Coast paintings, and Tom Thomson's iconic wilderness studies—alongside a growing collection of Indigenous art that acknowledges and celebrates the artistic traditions of Canada's First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples.

The Collections

Canadian Art

The AGO's Canadian art collection is unrivaled. The Group of Seven galleries contain the most significant concentration of these landscape painters' work anywhere in the world—bold, colorful visions of the Canadian wilderness that defined the nation's visual identity in the early twentieth century. Lawren Harris's abstract Arctic landscapes, Tom Thomson's Algonquin Park studies, and Emily Carr's British Columbia forest paintings are among the most beloved artworks in Canada.

Indigenous Art

The AGO has made a significant commitment to collecting, exhibiting, and interpreting Indigenous art from across Turtle Island. The collection includes both historical and contemporary works, presented with cultural context and community collaboration that respects the living traditions these works represent.

Henry Moore Sculpture Centre

The museum houses the world's largest public collection of Henry Moore sculptures—over 900 works donated by the British sculptor himself. The dedicated Henry Moore Sculpture Centre provides an immersive experience of one of the twentieth century's most important sculptors.

Free Admission for Young People

The AGO's Annual Pass for visitors 25 and under is free, making the museum one of the most accessible major art institutions in North America for young artists and students. This policy reflects the museum's commitment to making art accessible to emerging generations.

The Gehry Transformation

Frank Gehry's 2008 redesign transformed the AGO from a conventional museum into one of North America's most architecturally distinctive cultural institutions. The centerpiece of the renovation is the Galleria Italia—a 600-foot glass and Douglas fir promenade along the museum's Dundas Street facade that floods the interior with natural light and creates a dramatic visual connection between the museum and the city. The warmth of the wood and the transparency of the glass reflect Gehry's personal connection to the neighborhood where he grew up, creating architecture that feels simultaneously grand and intimate.

The renovation also reorganized the museum's interior galleries, creating better circulation and dedicated spaces for different collection areas. The Walker Court—the museum's central atrium—was redesigned as a soaring, light-filled gathering space that serves as the building's social and architectural heart.

European Collection

While the AGO is most celebrated for its Canadian holdings, the museum maintains a significant European collection that spans from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century. Holdings include works by Tintoretto, Rubens, Rembrandt, Gainsborough, and the Impressionists, providing historical context for the modern and contemporary Canadian art that defines the museum's identity. The European galleries create a dialogue between Old World and New World artistic traditions that enriches understanding of both.

Contemporary and International Art

The AGO's contemporary collection extends well beyond Canadian borders, encompassing significant works by international artists working across painting, sculpture, photography, video, and installation. The museum's commitment to contemporary art ensures that its programming remains relevant to current artistic discourse while its historical collections provide the context that makes contemporary practice meaningful.

Education and Community Programs

The AGO's education programs are among the most comprehensive in North America, serving schools, families, adults, and professional artists through a range of gallery-based and studio programs. School visits bring thousands of Ontario students into the museum annually, many from communities with limited cultural access. Studio programs provide hands-on art-making experiences guided by professional artists, connecting museum viewing with creative practice.

The museum's community engagement initiatives extend its reach beyond the building into Toronto's diverse neighborhoods, partnering with community organizations to make art accessible to populations that traditional museum programming may not reach. These outreach efforts reflect the AGO's understanding that a great art museum must serve its entire community, not just those who already identify as art enthusiasts.

The Bottom Line

The AGO is one of North America's great art museums—essential for understanding Canadian art from the Group of Seven through contemporary practice, Indigenous visual traditions that represent thousands of years of artistic heritage, the world's largest public Henry Moore collection, and significant European and international holdings. Its combination of world-class collections, Frank Gehry's stunning architectural transformation, comprehensive education programs, and accessible admission policies including free passes for visitors 25 and under makes it a must-visit destination in Toronto and one of the most important cultural institutions in Canada.