We've got art
Sneak peek! As we gear up to reopen on July 21, here’s a taste of all the great art coming your way.
Image courtesy of AGO
In just a few days, we’ll all be able to experience that sublime thrill of connecting with art in person once again. To help us pass the time until that happy moment, we’ve got a sneak peek of all the great art coming our way this year. From rare medieval objects to photography from the Caribbean, contemporary Indigenous artworks to cutting-edge conservation science – there is so much to see! And it's never been easier with free admission all year for AGO Members, $35 Annual Passholders and visitors age 25 and under.
Opening in a New York minute, Andy Warhol charts the career of the Pop art phenom. A shy, gay artist from a working-class, Eastern European immigrant background, Warhol and his vast body of work reflected and fueled many of the social changes that shook the 20th century. Curated at the AGO by Kenneth Brummel, Associate Curator, Modern Art, Andy Warhol is organized by Tate Modern, in collaboration with the AGO and Museum Ludwig, Cologne. The exhibition debuted at Tate Modern, curated by Gregor Muir, Director of Collection, International Art, and Fiontán Moran, Assistant Curator, Tate Modern.
Mythical creatures, fishing scenes, machinery, giant squid and quiet streets collide in the detailed drawings of acclaimed Inuk artist Shuvinai Ashoona. Winner of the 2018 Gershon Iskowitz Prize at the AGO, Ashoona is inspired by daily life in Nunavut, a place where the everyday is imbued with otherworldly beings, spirits and unseen forces. Featuring 25 recent works on paper, Shuvinai Ashoona: Beyond the Visible opens on July 21.
Craving silence and solitude? In Europe around the 1300s, Christian religious practice underwent a major transformation: a turn to solitary, individual prayer and meditation. Opening July 21, Meditation and the Medieval Mind brings together highlights from the Thomson Collection of European Art, including rare manuscripts, ivories and meticulously made prayer beads, to offer visitors a unique look at an ongoing tradition.
Opening on July 21, the psychologically charged drawings of Toronto modernist painter Ben Woolfitt come to light in the exciting solo exhibition Ben Woolfitt: Rhythms and Series. Best known for his large-scale abstract paintings, Woolfitt pours his emotions onto the pages of his drawing books, using graphite and silver or metallic leaves.
Opening on July 24, Kim Ondaatje: The House on Piccadilly Street marks the debut of a vivid series of screenprints made by the artist in the late 1960s and early '70s of her house in London, Ontario. The opposing feelings of comfort and claustrophobia are exquisitely captured in this exhibition of works by the Toronto-born artist.
The first museum exhibition ever dedicated to Toronto-born Chinese Canadian artist Matthew Wong, Matthew Wong: Blue View is a solo exhibition featuring 40 of his paintings and works on paper. Wong’s lush imaginary landscapes, brooding interiors, and vibrant still-life compositions reveal his unique painterly style that led critics to proclaim him “one of the best painters of his generation.” Opening August 14.
Artworks by more than 50 modern and contemporary artists of Caribbean descent, alongside more than 200 historic photos from the Montgomery Collection of Caribbean Photography, explore the region and its complex histories in the expansive exhibition Fragments of Epic Memory, opening September 1. The first exhibition organized by the AGO’s new Department of Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora, it features new commissions by Toronto’s own Sandra Brewster and a massive sculpture by the Trinidad-born British-based artist Zak Ové.
In October, we will proudly present Picasso: Painting the Blue Period, a landmark exhibition focused on Pablo Picasso's artistic achievements between 1901 and 1904. Featuring more than 100 artworks from 15 countries, the exhibition is co-organized by the AGO and The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC. Featuring major international loans and recent conservation discoveries, Picasso: Painting the Blue Period is curated by Kenneth Brummel, AGO Associate Curator, Modern Art, and Dr. Susan Behrends Frank, Curator, The Phillips Collection.
Coming in December, Robert Houle: Red is Beautiful presents five decades of art from one of the most influential First Nations artists in the contemporary art world. This is Houle’s first major retrospective exhibition and will feature more than 90 large installations, paintings and drawings. His work blends abstraction, modernism and conceptualism with First Nations aesthetics and histories. The exhibition includes Kanata (1992), Houle’s iconic reworking of Benjamin West’s The Death of General Wolfe, and Parfleches for the Last Supper (1983), addressing his respect for Indigenous spiritual traditions.
Stay tuned for more details about these exciting upcoming exhibitions in the AGOinsider. Questions about how to book your visit? Be sure to check out our updated Visitor Guidelines. We can’t wait to welcome you back!