Art Gallery of Ontario

🎉 We're all turned upside down with excitement: the City of Toronto has proclaimed November 13 as Henry Moore Day to celebrate 50 years of the Henry Moore Sculpture Centre at the AGO. There are different ways to take part: 🗣️ On Nov. 13 at 7pm there will be a public talk with Associate Curator, Modern Art, Adam Welch, AGO Conservator, Sculpture and Decorative Arts Lisa Ellis, and Henry Moore Foundation Sculpture Conservator James Copper. https://lnkd.in/gyS4Q8GA 📸 Did you slide down Large Two Forms in your snow suit or come on a class trip wearing fashions of yesteryear? Did you wander the Centre on a first date, or get engagement photos set against the monumental artworks? Have you taken photos of your own kids or visitors in the splendor of Large Two Forms in Grange Park? Join us in spreading the Henry Moore love by sharing your #MooreMemories on social media and be part of this exciting celebration marking 50 years of this iconic space. #henrymoore, #henrymoorearchive Henry Moore Studios & Gardens Upper Thames Elementary School Visit to the Henry Moore Sculpture Centre, children imitating Reclining Figure (1951), June 23, 1978. AGO Photographic Collection. Edward P. Taylor Library & Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario. Photo # 10719. Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation / © The Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: AGO

Join us this weekend for a Pacita Abad Roundtable Conversation with Pio Abad, Victoria Sung, and Matthew Villar Miranda moderated by Renée van der Avoird. Fleeing the Marcos regime in the Philippines, Abad arrived in the United States in 1970. Her work resonates with the various artistic communities she encountered on her global travels, incorporating diverse cultural traditions and techniques—from Korean ink brush painting to Indonesian batik. Underrecognized in her lifetime, her work is defined by her engagement with social justice and evolving material exploration.   Saturday, November 2, at 2pm in Baillie Court. https://lnkd.in/g9zbX6wW Pacita Abad, European Mask , 1990. Acrylic, silkscreen, thread on canvas. Tate: Purchased with funds provided by the Asia Pacific Acquisitions Committee 2019. Courtesy Pacita Abad Art Estate and Tate. Photo: At Maculangan/Pioneer Studios.

Experience art in a whole new way at the AGO with the Art Rate Monitor, created in partnership with Zulu Alpha Kilo Inc. and WXM. This unique gallery activation measures your heart rate as you explore the AGO, offering a personalized look at how art affects you. You'll receive a free custom report that captures your unique journey through the gallery and discover a deeper connection with art like never before. The Art Rate Monitor is on at the AGO until November 19, 2024. https://lnkd.in/ent-mHXF

Here’s what’s coming to the AGO in 2025! Featuring retrospectives of David Blackwood and Joyce Wieland, a solo show by artist Jesse Mockrin that radically revises Baroque masterpieces, and the return of Yayoi Kusama’s INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM - LET'S SURVIVE FOREVER, we can’t wait for a new year full of great art! Let us know which one you’re most looking forward to, and head to ago.ca for more info on each show.    ✨ Louise Noguchi: Selected Works, 1986-2000, opening January 18, 2025  ✨ Oluseye: Merindinlogun, opening February 15, 2025  ✨ Kenojuak Ashevak: Highlights from the Dr. Ronald M. Haynes Collection, opening February 15, 2025  ✨ Letendre/Morrisseau, opening February 15, 2025  ✨ Tim Whiten: A Little Bit of Light, opening March 29, 2025  ✨ Yayoi Kusama: INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM - LET’S SURVIVE FOREVER (2017), opening in April 2025  ✨ Recuerdo: Latin American Photography at the AGO, opening May 3, 2025  ✨ Joyce Wieland: Heart On, opening June 28, 2025  ✨ Surusilutu Ashoona, opening June 28, 2025  ✨ Naoko Matsubara, opening July 19, 2025  ✨ Remade: Clay, Plaster, opening August 9, 2025  ✨ Faye Heavyshield, opening August 16, 2025  ✨ Jesse Mockrin, opening Septmeber 13, 2025  ✨ David Blackwood: Home, opening October 18, 2025  ✨ New Acquisitions: Selections from the Dr. Ronald M. Haynes Collection, opening November 8, 2025    Image captions:  David Blackwood, Night Passage, 1978. Etching and aquatint on paper, Overall: 61.5 x 80.5 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Gift of David and Anita Blackwood, Port Hope, Ontario, 1999. © Estate of David Blackwood. 99/942  Joyce Wieland. The Arctic Belongs to Itself, 1973. lithograph on paper, Overall: 33.2 x 43.4 cm (13 1/16 x 17 1/16 in.). Art Gallery of Ontario. Purchase, 1987. © National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa 86/285  Yayoi Kusama. INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM - LET'S SURVIVE FOREVER, 2017. Wood, metal, glass mirrors, LED lighting system, monofilament, stainless steel balls and carpet, Installed: 312.4 × 624.8 × 622.9 cm. Purchased with funds from the David Yuile & Mary Elizabeth Hodgson Fund and the generosity of thousands of art lovers, 2018. © Yayoi Kusama, Courtesy David Zwirner, New York; Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore/Shanghai; Victoria Miro, London/Venice. Photo AGO. 2018/28  Jesse Mockrin, Fracture, 2024. Oil on cotton, 91.4 x 142.2 cm (JCG17065) © Jesse Mockrin 2024. Courtesy the artist and James Cohan, New York. Photo by Phoebe d'Heurle.

We are pleased to welcome Robert Durocher as Richard & Elizabeth Currie Chief, Education & Programming. Robert brings deep education experience to the AGO. He joins us from the Urban Indigenous Education Centre (Toronto District School Board) where he was the Centrally Assigned Vice-Principal, Indigenous Education, and Instructional Leader supporting teacher learning for the Expressions of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Cultures Grade 9 art course. He is an art educator, member of the Toronto Biennial of Art Education Advisory Circle, frequent presenter and facilitator at education conferences, and published writer for educator resource guides. Robert is an advocate for arts education and has coached educators to engage equity and anti-oppression in their teaching practices. Robert is also an artist, with a focus on drawing and photography, and encourages engaging students in learning through the arts for well-being and engagement. He is an Associate of the Ontario College of Art (Printmaking), a BFA from York University, and BEd and MA from OISE/UT. Robert is a talented educator and will be an important voice as part of the AGO’s Leadership Team. Please join us in welcoming Robert to our team at the AGO.

The AGO experience visualized like never before. From Sept 17 to Nov 12, get a snapshot of your unique gallery experience & transform the way you connect with art through the Art Rate Monitor. This first-of-its kind gallery experience measures your heart rate as you explore the AGO. See which pieces captivated you the most & relive the highlights of your visit with a free personalized wrap report. Visit the gallery today and find out how art moves you.

✨Opening September 19! Recipient of the prestigious Golden Lion prize at the 2022 Venice Biennale, acclaimed British artist Sonia Boyce makes her Canadian debut with an installation combining video, collage, music and sculpture that you won’t want to miss! Exclusive Members' Access to Sonia Boyce: Feeling Her Way starts September 19-20. Annual Pass Holder & Public Access starts September 21. The artist will be in conversation with TBA curator Dominque Fontaine on September 18 at 7pm in Baillie Court. With thanks to Lead Sponsor LG for providing the cutting-edge OLED technology for the exhibition. Sonia Boyce: Feeling Her Way is presented at the AGO in partnership with the Toronto Biennial of Art 2024. The Canadian presentation of Sonia Boyce: Feeling Her Way is initiated and organized by the PHI Foundation for Contemporary Art.  https://lnkd.in/eDxsTftY Sonia Boyce, Feeling Her Way, 2022. Commissioned by the British Council for the British Pavilion for the 59th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia 2022. © Sonia Boyce (CARCC Ottawa 2024). Installation view, Leeds Art Gallery, 2023. Image credit: Rob Battersby.

We’re delighted to announce that John Zeppetelli has been appointed Carol and Morton Rapp Curator, Modern & Contemporary Art at the AGO. The Montreal-born curator has previously served as Director and Chief Curator of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC) in Montreal and as Curator at DHC/ART Foundation (currently known as the PHI Foundation). He assumes the role on Monday, September 16. Zeppetelli has extensive experience at public and private galleries in the US and UK in addition to curatorial and teaching roles in Quebec and Nova Scotia. As Director and Chief Curator at the Musée d’art contemporain (MAC) in Montreal, he led a large team and simultaneously curated many exhibitions. He also led the capital campaign for the renovation of MAC’s premises that is currently underway. Throughout his long and distinguished career, John has demonstrated a commitment to artistic excellence, strategic initiatives, and cultivating meaningful partnerships. His dedication to making contemporary art and ideas accessible to wide and diverse audiences is strongly aligned with the AGO, as it expands its program in this area with the forthcoming Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery. Please join us in welcoming John to the AGO! https://lnkd.in/e3pyhvYe Photo credit: Alejandro Escamilla

A major painting by Philip Guston is coming to the AGO, alongside 36 extraordinary works by leading contemporary artists, thanks to the generosity of the Estate of Philip B. Lind. This gift, including works by Stan Douglas, Antony Gormley, Rodney Graham, Philip Guston, William Kentridge, John McCracken, Jeff Wall and Ai Weiwei, is one of the largest contemporary gifts in AGO history. They will go on view November 1 as part of the exhibition Light Years: The Phil Lind Gift. A tremendous supporter of Canadian artists and museums, Phil Lind’s generosity is also felt in Vancouver, where the Philip B. Lind Emerging Artist Prize was established at The Polygon Gallery. Today, the Gallery announced a new $1-million endowment from the Estate of Philip B. Lind that will increase the value of the prize, making it one of this country’s most significant. https://lnkd.in/ggd3pTAx Philip Guston, Untitled, 1979. Oil on canvas, 91.4 × 81.3 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario, Gift of the Estate of Philip B. Lind, 2024. 2024/53. © The Estate of Philip Guston. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid. Rodney Graham, Media Studies '77, 2016. Two painted aluminum lightboxes with transmounted chromogenic transparencies, each panel: 232.2 × 182 × 17.8 cm; installed: 232.2 × 376 × 17.8 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario, Gift of the Estate of Philip B. Lind, 2024. 2024/48. © Estate of Rodney Graham. Image courtesy Lisson Gallery. Laurie Simmons. Lying Objects (Set of Four) (detail), 1992. Offset lithographs on Somerset Satin paper, 38.1 × 50.8 cm each. Art Gallery of Ontario, Gift of the Estate of Philip B. Lind, 2024. 2024/62. © Laurie Simmons. Jeff Wall. River Road, 1997. Cibachrome transparency in lightbox, 90.3 × 119.0 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario, Gift of the Estate of Philip B. Lind, 2024. 2024/65. © Jeff Wall. Image courtesy of the artist. Stan Douglas, Abbott & Cordova, 7 August 1971, 2008. Chromogenic print, 177.8 × 290.8 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario, Gift of the Estate of Philip B. Lind, 2024. 2024/41. © Stan Douglas. Courtesy the artist, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner.

With Art Bash right around the corner, we’re VERY excited to share this year’s party will have performances by: 🔶Kiesza 💜Tynomi Banks 🔴RALPH Get your tickets today for Canada’s Art Party at the AGO on September 26 – it’s NOT to be missed! Art Bash is presented by Tricon Residential. https://lnkd.in/eDNAtAZF Kiesza📷: Mick Marseilles Tynomi Banks📷: Quinton Cruickshank Ralph📷: Armand Digdoyo