In the first AGO Collection Highlights published since 2013, the Art Gallery of Ontario presents over 150 works from the gallery’s permanent collection, ranging from Renaissance masterpieces to contemporary works of art. Here, readers will find paintings by European old masters; foundational Canadian canvases from the Group of Seven and the Quebec Impressionists; the work of twentieth-century modernists, from Henry Moore to Henri Matisse; art that explores the diversity and complexity of artistic expression; and contemporary creations that centre Indigenous voices by artists such as Kent Monkman, Daphne Odjig, Tim Pitsiulak, and Annie Pootoogook. Beyond these famous works of art, AGO Collection Highlights also showcases the gallery’s collections of drawings, photographs, and gems from its Library & Archives holdings.
The book's introduction delves into the history of the AGO’s collection, providing fascinating insight into the factors that shape an art institution’s collection — the specifics of time and place, the tastes of curators and donors, the changes in contemporary aesthetics, and the shifting complexion of the global visual art community.