Discovering Blackness in and out of the vault

We hope you’ve had a busy and informative Black History Month, and have taken advantage of all the stellar programming being offered around the city. The month isn’t over yet, so why not close out February exploring Blackness at the AGO? This Friday, February 28th from 5-9pm, we’ve crafted a fascinating self-guided tour for you to discover works by artists of African descent, and as subjects, in the AGO’s Collection, throughout multiple eras.

Your tour starts adjacent to the admissions entrance, on Level 1 in the Edmond G. Odette Family Gallery (Gallery 128). Featured as the second rotation of our Photography, 1920s – 1940s: Women in Focus series, is the striking studio portraits of prominent Harlem Renaissance photographer James VanDerZee. The photographs on view of men, women and children offer candid insight into early 20th Century Black America.     

While you’re on Level 1, head over to Gallery 116 in the Thomson Collection of European Art and travel back five centuries to Medieval-era East Africa.  Ethiopian Art, 1400–1900: A Living Culture features ancient scrolls, intricately crafted metal pieces, and religious manuscripts with vibrant illustrations from the Ethiopian Kingdom of Aksum.

Next, head up to Level 2 and the J.S. McLean Centre for Indigenous & Canadian Art (Gallery 238). Here you will find works by two contemporary Black Canadian artists. Untitled (Blur) by Sandra Brewster is a large-scale, photo-transfer that explores layered experiences of Black identity. It is part of a full exhibition by Brewster titled Blur, which is currently on view in the same gallery. A Seat Above the Table (Warren Moon)  by Esmaa Mohamoud is a three-meter tall woven black rattan chair inspired by the intriguing life of football player, Warren Moon. Just before you leave Level 2, head over to the Murray Frum Gallery (Gallery 249) to take a look at the AGO’s African Art Collection. This collection of 95 works represents a plethora of different cultures and peoples from the 19th and 20th century Sub-Saharan Africa.

To finish up the tour, head back downstairs for our pièce de résistance: works from the AGO’s Prints and Drawings vault, which will be open for the evening. Here, Julie Crooks Associate Curator, Photography will be displaying a number of prints, drawings, photographs and paintings by Black artists and/or featuring Black subjects. You’ll have the exclusive opportunity to view a drawing by famed, African-American artist Kerry James Marshall, whose unique portrayals of African-American life have made him one of the most talked-about living artists. And in anticipation of a major exhibition opening in 2021, a selection of photographs from the Montgomery Collection of Caribbean Photographs will be on view. The largest of its kind in Canada, the Montgomery Collection is a powerful archive of photographs documenting Caribbean life from the 1840s – 1940s.       

Stay tuned in the upcoming months for more opportunities to see Black art at the AGO.  

Admission to the AGO Collection and all special exhibitions is always free for AGO Members, AGO Annual Pass holders and visitors 25 and under.