Visionary Canadian Jack Chambers Celebrated at the Art Gallery of Ontario

TORONTO.- The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) opens an exhibition of Canadian artist Jack Chambers’ work on Nov. 26, 2011. Entitled Jack Chambers: Light, Spirit, Time, Place and Life, the collection surveys the varying styles and media used by the artist to create an incredible range of work. Curated by renowned Canadian art scholar Dennis Reid with art critic Sarah Milroy, the exhibition is based largely on holdings from the AGO’s permanent collection and remains on view until May 13, 2012. Situated [...]

New Delhi-based artist Gauri Gill wins $50,000 Grange Prize 2011 for photography

TORONTO, ON.- After an eight-week public vote, the Art Gallery of Ontario and Aeroplan announces that Delhi-based artist Gauri Gill is the winner of The Grange Prize 2011. The $50,000 prize is Canada’s largest photography prize, also granting $5,000 and an international residency to each of the runners-up, and is the only major Canadian art prize to have its winner chosen by the public. Gill is an Indian photographer born in 1970 and based in Delhi, India, whose body of work includes a [...]

Two Canadian and two Indian photographers shortlisted for $50,000 Grange Prize

TORONTO, ON.- Four photographers — two each from Canada and India — have been shortlisted for The Grange Prize 2011, Canada’s largest cash prize for photography. The winner of the $50,000 prize is chosen by public vote, which opens today and continues through October 23 at www.thegrangeprize.com. The winner will be announced at a gala reception hosted by presenting partners Aeroplan and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) on November 1. The finalists for The Grange Prize 2011 are: Gauri Gill, an Indian [...]

Canadian Artist Kathleen Munn Receives Homecoming Exhibition at Art Gallery of Ontario

TORONTO.- The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) opened a unique exhibition featuring Canadian artist Kathleen Munn, on view until August 28. The Passion of Kathleen Munn features nearly 40 works by Munn, including her highly regarded Passion Series drawings, as well as paintings and prints. In addition, the exhibition is supported by archival material from the AGO’s collection, including sketches, notebooks, diagrams, collages and a custom-made light box. Born in 1887 in Toronto, Kathleen Munn was one of the first [...]

In Time for the Holidays, Art Gallery of Ontario Opens Family-Friendly Exhibitions for Holidays

TORONTO.- Just in time for the holidays, the AGO has opened a group of intimate exhibitions that feature the work of two remarkable storytellers – Aesop and Walter Trier. Animal Tales: Beasts, Toys, and Fables from the AGO Collection opened December 24 and comprises four installations: Walter Trier: The Animals’ Conference; Aesop and Other Fables; Savage and Sublime: Animal Prints from the 1700s; and Walter Trier’s Toyland. The installations feature brightly coloured illustrations that celebrate the timeless appeal of picture books [...]

Art Gallery of Ontario Acquires Record Ten Works by Four Canadian Artists at Art Toronto 2010

TORONTO.- Ten works by four contemporary Canadian artists will be joining the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario after an evening of important acquisitions at the annual art fair’s Opening Night Preview. Four works by Kingston-based artist Mike Bayne, four works by Montreal-based artist Adad Hannah, and a work each from Toronto-based An Te Liu and Vancouver-based Ron Terada were purchased with funds raised at the preview, a benefit for the AGO.  “We were thrilled with the number of outstanding works by [...]

Never-Before-Seen Works at the Art Gallery of Ontario Reveal a Darker Side to Henry Moore

TORONTO, ON.- An exhibition heralded by the Guardian as “the most important exhibition of [Henry] Moore’s work for a generation” is coming to the Art Gallery of Ontario this fall. The Shape of Anxiety: Henry Moore in the 1930s is a dramatic reconsideration of one of the 20th century’s most revered artists. The exhibition will be on view from October 23 through February 6, 2011 in the AGO’s Henry Moore Sculpture Centre. Organized by Tate Britain in collaboration with the [...]

Lynette Roth Appointed as Harvard Art Museums’ Associate Curator

CAMBRIDGE, MA.- The Harvard Art Museums announced the appointment of Lynette Roth as Daimler-Benz Associate Curator of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, effective January 3, 2011. A specialist in German art of the early 20th century, Roth’s highly disciplined and innovative work in the academy and in the museum has distinguished her early in her career. “I am happy to welcome Lynette to our staff,” said Thomas W. Lentz, Elizabeth and John Moors Cabot Director of the Harvard Art Museums. “Her academic [...]

Canadian and U.S. Photographers Compete for 2010 Grange Prize

TORONTO.- Four leading-edge photographers, two Canadian and two American, will have the opportunity to win the $50,000 Grange Prize, presented by Aeroplan and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Each year, The Grange Prize partners with one international art institution in an effort to recognize the best in Canadian and international photography — and 2010’s partner is the Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP) at Columbia College Chicago. A joint panel of curatorial experts will meet to review the work of photographic [...]

Art Gallery of Ontario Appoints Bernita Kiefte as Marketing Director

TORONTO.- The Art Gallery of Ontario announced the appointment of Bernita Kiefte as Executive Director, Marketing and Communications, effective May 3, 2010. Kiefte brings a powerful blend of leadership strengths to the AGO from marketing, business development, coaching and organizational development, as well as volunteer engagement in arts communities. Bernita Kiefte’s newly created executive role reflects the AGO’s focus on drawing new audiences to the gallery, as well as growing all lines of business “I am very pleased that Bernita [...]

Art Gallery of Ontario Extends King Tut’s Reign

TORONTO.- The Art Gallery of Ontario will extend its blockbuster exhibition King Tut: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs for two additional weeks through May 2 due to high demand for tickets. To date, the Gallery has sold over 300,000 tickets to the exhibition, currently making its only Canadian stop at the AGO. The exhibition is already the Gallery’s most attended in over a decade, and AGO Michael and Sonja Koerner Director, and CEO Matthew Teitelbaum is thrilled with [...]

Anselm Kiefer Installation an International Coup for the Art Gallery of Ontario

TORONTO.- Acclaimed international artist Anselm Kiefer’s monumental installation Palmsonntag (Palm Sunday) is coming to the Art Gallery of Ontario this March. Kiefer, known for his epic themes and operatic flair, will be adapting and adding to the installation for its Canadian premiere at the AGO, opening March 4 and continuing through August 1. Palmsonntag is composed of a 60-foot-long palm tree, cast in fiberglass and resin, that lies on its side across the Gallery floor, surrounded by a cycle of [...]

Provocative Kenyan-Born Artist to Tear Up Gallery Walls at AGO

TORONTO.- The daring collage-based works of Kenyan-born Wangechi Mutu will be on display this winter at the Art Gallery of Ontario, which will host the first solo exhibition of Mutu’s socially charged artwork at a major North American museum. Opening February 24 and continuing through May 23, Wangechi Mutu: This You Call Civilization? encompasses 16 key works by the artist, including 12 large-scale collage-based works on Mylar, two videos and two environmental installations: The Ark Collection (2006), which presents a [...]

King Tut Ticket Sales at the Art Gallery of Ontario Surpass 100,000

TORONTO.- Public response to the Canadian exclusive of King Tut: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs continues to be overwhelmingly positive, with more than 100,000 tickets sold since they became available just under three months ago. As a result, and to accommodate continued high demand, the Art Gallery of Ontario will continue extended evening hours through Jan. 31, 2010, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until 9:30 p.m. (last entry is 8 p.m.). In addition, the King Tut exhibition as [...]