Attraction
CN Tower
Toronto's 553-metre communications tower on Bremner Boulevard, with a Glass Floor, an outdoor terrace, the higher Top level, a revolving restaurant and the seasonal EdgeWalk.
Art Gallery of Ontario
One of North America's larger art museums, on Dundas Street West, with a Frank Gehry-designed building, major Canadian holdings and a permanent Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirror Room.
At a glance
- Type
- Art museum
- Area
- Grange Park, Toronto, Canada
- Official site
- ago.ca
Good to know
- Free for under-25s from Ontario
- Free first Wednesday evenings
- Bistro
- Espresso bar
- Accessible subway station nearby
Why we recommend it
The Art Gallery of Ontario, or AGO, began in 1900 as the Art Museum of Toronto and now holds more than 120,000 works. Its present look comes from Frank Gehry's Transformation AGO project, completed in 2008, which added the long glass and timber Galleria Italia along Dundas Street and the titanium and glass spiral staircase that climbs out of the south block.
Canadian art is the core of the collection. The Thomson Collection, donated by Kenneth Thomson in 2004, includes around 250 works by Tom Thomson as well as paintings by Cornelius Krieghoff and David Milne, and the Group of Seven are well represented. The European galleries include Rubens's Massacre of the Innocents, and the Henry Moore Sculpture Centre, opened in 1974, holds the largest public collection of Moore's work. Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirror Room, Let's Survive Forever, is a permanent installation that is popular enough to plan around.
Behind the main building stands The Grange, a manor built in 1817 that was the gallery's first home and is now a National Historic Site. Grange Park, directly to the south, is a pleasant place to sit before or after a visit.
The AGO has generous free admission. Ontario residents under 25 go free, as do children up to nine and all Indigenous Peoples, and everyone can visit free on the first Wednesday night of the month between 6pm and 9pm, with advance online booking recommended. Gallery guides are on hand on Wednesday and Friday evenings. Check the website for daily hours, which vary through the week. Allow at least two to three hours, and longer if you want to see the European and Canadian collections properly.
Look out for the details as you walk round. The Galleria Italia is named for a gift from 26 Italian-Canadian families, Walker Court has its own wooden spiral staircase, and the European collection includes around 130 historic ship models. Henry Moore himself donated about 300 pieces to the gallery in 1974, and the Kusama room was acquired in 2018 and opened in 2019.
The AGO Bistro and an espresso bar are on site. St Patrick station on the Yonge-University-Spadina line is the closest stop and has a lift, and the 505 Dundas and 510 Spadina streetcars run close by.
Art Gallery of Ontario FAQs
Is admission ever free?
Yes. Everyone can visit free on the first Wednesday night of the month from 6pm to 9pm; book online in advance.
Who gets free entry?
Ontario residents under 25, children aged up to nine, all Indigenous Peoples and members.
What are the highlights?
The Thomson Collection of Canadian art, the Group of Seven, Rubens's Massacre of the Innocents, the Henry Moore Sculpture Centre and Kusama's Infinity Mirror Room.
Who designed the building?
Frank Gehry, whose Transformation AGO project was completed in 2008.
How do you get there?
St Patrick station is the closest stop, and the 505 and 510 streetcars stop nearby.
Is there somewhere to eat?
Yes. There is the AGO Bistro and an espresso bar.
What is The Grange?
An 1817 manor behind the gallery, the AGO's first home and a National Historic Site.
What is nearby?
Grange Park, a municipal park directly south of The Grange.