Toronto - Art Gallery of Ontario (Closed Temporarily)

THE AGO IS CURRENTLY CLOSED WHILE THEY INSTALL NEW ARTWORKS.

The AGO is undergoing a massive restoration and transformation project designed by Toronto architect Frank Gehry. The museum is scheduled to open again in late 2008.

The renowned Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) occupies a pleasing modern building on the west side of the city center.

A whole series of temporary exhibitions are mounted throughout the year by this exceptionally well endowed gallery. There are three main collections - Canadian art, European art and sculptures by Henry Moore.

The collection of Canadian paintings is particularly impressive. The work of the early Québécois painters is well represented, as is that of Cornelius Krieghoff, Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven, Emily Carr, David Milne and Paul Peele. Contemporary Canadian artists are accorded special attention. Paintings by old and modern masters alike feature in the European collection. Included are works by Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Tintoretto, Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Gainsborough, Van Gogh, Monet, Gauguin, Dégas, Renoir and Picasso.

The Gallery has a complete wing devoted to the English sculptor Henry Moore, more than a dozen of whose large bronzes are on display. Sketches, lithographs and miniatures offer illuminating insight into the creative genesis of his work.