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The Art Gallery Of Ontario

Museums and Art Galleries, Ontario Travel, Toronto & Area Activities / August 15, 2012 by Lisa Goodmurphy / 20 Comments

The Art Gallery of Ontario, located in downtown Toronto, is a world-class and family-friendly art gallery.

The Art Gallery of Ontario (“the AGO”) is located in downtown Toronto and is one of the largest art museums in North America. The AGO, which was founded in 1900, now has more than 80,000 works in its collection, including a large Canadian collection as well as many masterpieces of European art, contemporary art and photography. It’s a world-class art museum and it’s also one of the most family-friendly galleries we have visited.  

Visitors to the gallery are greeted by Henry Moore’s bronze sculpture, Two Large Forms, which sits outside the entrance and is a popular place to take photographs, particularly with kids. Inside the gallery, there is more of the artist’s work on display in the Henry Moore Sculpture Centre. The AGO has one of the world’s largest collections of Moore’s work and much of it was donated by the artist himself.  

 

AGO-Henry Moore sculpture
Outside the AGO

Art Gallery of Ontario-girl outside at AGO sign
The Art Gallery of Ontario

The Collections

Inside the gallery, visitors can choose from a number of interesting collections. Our favourites are:

The Canadian Collection:  The AGO has a significant collection of work by Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven – the landscape painters known for their distinctive paintings of the Canadian wilderness. The gallery is also well known for its collection of contemporary Inuit art as well as other First Nation artists. There are several paintings by Emily Carr who is one of Emma’s favourite artists as well.

The European Collection:  The collection is comprised of Dutch paintings from the 1600s, Italian paintings and sculptures from the 1600s, and French Salon and Impressionist paintings from the 1800s. Emma and I are both big fans of impressionism so this is one of our favourite collections to visit.

The Modern and Contemporary Collection: The gallery includes the work of several European artists dating from 1900-1960 as well as American artists from 1945-1960. Some of the artists features include Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Raoul Dufy, Paul Gauguin, and Amedeo Modigliani. The contemporary collection comprises work in several forms of media including painting, sculpture, installation and photography.   

AGO-Galleria Italia-young girl
Taking a break at the AGO

Special Exhibits

As a major art gallery, the AGO plays host to a number of special exhibits. Visitors who happen to be in Toronto before August 26th this year will have the opportunity to view the special Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris exhibit that is on an international tour from the Musée National Picasso in Paris. This exhibit features works of art from Picasso’s private collection – the work that he selected himself to shape his artistic legacy. There is an additional fee required to see the exhibit and it is timed-entry in order to control crowd flow, however, once inside the exhibit space then visitors are free to spend as much time as they like.    

We visited the exhibit earlier this summer and enjoyed it so much that Emma decided that Pablo Picasso was now one of her top 5 favourite artists.  Large Still Life on a Pedestal Table was one of her favourite paintings so we had to purchase a small print to bring home.   

One of the upcoming exhibitions that I am looking forward to is Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting which will run from October 20, 2012 to January 20, 2013.

 

AGO-Picasso exhibit

Picasso exhibit at AGO

Picasso - gift shop at AGO
Picasso merchandise in the AGO gift shop

 

Families at the AGO

The AGO is a family-friendly gallery that makes an exemplary effort to welcome families. The Weston Family Learning Centre is a hands-on learning space that includes the Dr. Mariano Elia Hands-On Centre which is an art-making and creative play area for the gallery’s youngest visitors and their adult friends. There are also a number of family-friendly activities in the gallery designed to engage children in the artwork. The activities range from activity bags, to drawing stations to trading cards.   

The gallery’s programming for families includes art camps, courses and workshops and birthday parties. On the last Sunday of the month from October to March the AGO also holds Family Sundays with interactive activities for families with kids of all ages.  

Relaxing outside AGOKids shop
Outside ShopAGO Kids

 

What You Need To Know

  • The AGO is located at 317 Dundas Street West in Toronto and is accessible by both subway and streetcar. Paid parking is available nearby.
  • Admission prices are available on the website.
  • Entry to the permanent collections is free on Wednesday evenings from 6pm – 8:30pm.
  • Regular hours are 10:00am to 5:30pm. The gallery is closed on Mondays and holidays.
  • The Frank Gehry-designed restaurant, appropriately named Frank, offers contemporary comfort cuisine in a chic, modern setting. Café AGO offers family-friendly dining and snacks are also available at the Galleria Italia Espresso Bar.  
  • ShopAGO has unique art-related merchandise available for purchase and ShopAGO Kids on the lower level has a large selection of products designed to inspire imaginative play in kids under the age of 12.
  • The gallery offers a variety of tours to visitors – information available here
Shopping at the AGO
Shopping at the AGO

Related Links

Visiting The McMichael Canadian Art Collection With Kids

Taking the Kids to Toronto

Black Creek Pioneer Village

A Day At The Toronto Zoo

Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market

9 Tips For Taking Kids to an Art Museum

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Steve

    August 16, 2012 at 3:40 am

    Wow! I never realized just how much Pablo Picasso looks like Colin Mochrie.
    Great to see Emma back and posing for more pictures. Always brightens my day.

    Reply
  2. jade

    August 16, 2012 at 6:48 pm

    so much fun! Haven’t been before, but would love to wander around and play!

    Reply
  3. cindy thetravelgal

    August 16, 2012 at 10:58 pm

    Oooh. It’s been a long time since I was there – time to go back!

    Reply
  4. Leigh

    August 17, 2012 at 12:16 pm

    I love the AGO and used to take my kids there when we lived in Toronto and they were small. They loved the hands on activities.

    Reply
  5. Zoe French

    August 17, 2012 at 4:46 pm

    What a cool sculpture outside. Looks like the museum starts before you even enter!

    Reply
  6. femmefrugality

    August 17, 2012 at 9:13 pm

    Looks like such a fun/interesting place! I’ll have to be sure to make my way there if I ever find myself in Toronto. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Counseling Jacksonville

    August 21, 2012 at 10:40 am

    So much fun! Haven’t been before, but would really like to walk around and play!

    Reply
  8. Andi at The Particular Traveler

    August 24, 2012 at 11:46 pm

    Definitely putting this one on my list of must do’s. The collections sound amazing, and the great family programming is the icing on the cake. Great review, Lisa!

    Reply
  9. Amy at Red Eye Family

    August 25, 2012 at 12:01 pm

    How old were your girls when you started taking them to museums? You have done a good job taking them when they are young. We need to do more of that. I’m just scared that the kids would misbehave!

    This art museum seems especially cool with the hands-on kids area! I would love to see it.

    Reply
  10. Lisa Goodmurphy

    August 28, 2012 at 8:38 am

    Not sure that I noticed the resemblance before you pointed it out!

    Reply
  11. Lisa Goodmurphy

    August 28, 2012 at 8:39 am

    It’s a great place to visit when you come to Toronto!

    Reply
  12. Lisa Wood

    August 30, 2012 at 11:13 am

    what a great idea ~ having a family friendly section in the art gallery! Would make it more interesting for kids. We havent taken our family to a big art gallery as yet, only small country ones.
    Like the idea of spending time exploring and looking at all the different displays.

    Reply
  13. Lisa Goodmurphy

    September 3, 2012 at 8:17 pm

    Definitely time to plan a return visit!

    Reply
  14. Lisa Goodmurphy

    September 3, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    I love it when galleries/museums have hands on activities for kids – it’s a great way to keep them interested in returning and to turn them into regular visitors as they grow older.

    Reply
  15. Lisa Goodmurphy

    September 3, 2012 at 8:19 pm

    I love this sculpture and it seems to be a big hit with everyone who is visiting the gallery!

    Reply
  16. Lisa Goodmurphy

    September 3, 2012 at 8:19 pm

    You really have to visit Toronto – there is so much to do!!

    Reply
  17. Lisa Goodmurphy

    September 3, 2012 at 8:21 pm

    It’s definitely a fun place to visit – I think you would enjoy it!

    Reply
  18. Lisa Goodmurphy

    September 3, 2012 at 8:21 pm

    Thanks, Andi! There’s lots of “must do’s” in Toronto – time to plan a visit!

    Reply
  19. Lisa Goodmurphy

    September 3, 2012 at 8:24 pm

    I can’t remember exactly but I think probably around 2 or 3 for Katie to a museum and around 5 to an actual art gallery. Emma would have been younger because she just got dragged everywhere that we were taking Katie.

    I’m working on a post of tips for visiting museums with kids but I think the biggest thing is to plan for it to be a short visit and be flexible. If you can find a museum that has a hands on area for kids then you know that they are going to be welcome and you don’t need to stress about it quite so much.

    Reply
  20. Lisa Goodmurphy

    September 3, 2012 at 8:26 pm

    I love galleries that encourage families to visit – after all kids are their future members so they should be hooking them while they are young!

    Reply

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