The Canadian Collection

ABOUT THE COLLECTION

The AGO is home to an outstanding collection of Canadian art, with a particular emphasis on the art of Toronto and Ontario. The Canadian collection spans art from the earliest forms of human expression (that fall within current national boundaries) through to 1990.

The AGO has one of the premier collections of work by Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven, and their contemporaries. The collection also includes Early Quebec art, pre-Confederation watercolours, Canadian modernism and abstraction, including work by Paul-Émile Borduas, Rita Letendre, Kazuo Nakamura and Jack Bush, and works on paper and sculpture from all periods, including Canada’s most comprehensive collection of sculptures by Frances Loring and Florence Wyle.

The AGO is the primary centre of research and study for an increasing number of Canadian artists such as David Milne (the expanded David Milne Study Centre launched in 2012) Kathleen Munn, Jack Chambers, Greg Curnoe, Paterson Ewen, Betty Goodwin, Gershon Iskowitz, Christiane Pflug, Michael Snow and Joyce Wieland.

COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS

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COLLECTION RESOURCES

Marvin Gelber Print & Drawing Study Centre

Marvin Gelber Print & Drawing Study Centre

This state-of-the-art facility is open to the public and dedicated to the study of prints, drawings and photographs. It houses a collection of over 70,000 works which date from the 13th century to the present day. Find out more about the AGO's prints and drawings collection.

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a lady wearing a dress and monocle

Image Licensing

Find the image you need from the Art Gallery of Ontario, one of the most distinguished art museums in North America. AGO Images licenses to scholarly and commercial clients worldwide. Be inspired by Tom Thomson, James Tissot, Kennth Noland, Walter Trier and many more amazing artists.

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artworks from the AGO collection in Fudger Rotunda gallery

Requests for Loans

The Art Gallery of Ontario is committed to broadening access to its collections and supporting educational initiatives that promote a new understanding of art, through a program of outgoing loans. 

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Conservation team and curators examining an artwork

Conservation at the AGO

Conservation is the care and protection of cultural objects. As the caretakers of collections, conservators examine, research, clean and repair artworks, while also taking action to prevent future deterioration. Here at the AGO, the Conservation Team includes conservators, mat makers, framers and mount makers. These specialists work together to ensure each work will look its best not only for today, but also for generations to come.

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Jan Asselijn, Landscape with Ancient Ruins

Provenance Research Project

The AGO is committed to investigating the provenance of works in its permanent collection, particularly as it pertains the ownership history of European painting and sculpture during the 1933–45 period. The purpose of this is to increase awareness and understanding of the spoliation of works of art by the Nazis and others.

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a number of objects on display

The AGO's Deaccessioning Policy

The Art Gallery of Ontario cares for its collections according to the highest standards. Its resources should only be devoted to works of art that serve its mission and are worthy of such care. This occasionally demands that works be judiciously and carefully deaccessioned from the collections. The proceeds from this are reinvested in new works of art.

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O'Brien's the Ocean's Bride

Artefacts Canada

Thanks to the important contribution of this country's heritage institutions, the Artefacts Canada database contains close to 4 million object records and approximately 800,000 images from Canadian museums.

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