The Curatorial Department is currently engaged in an important strategic review of our Collection.

As part of this careful review, we have decided to deaccession (remove) works of art from our Collection. Deaccessioning is a common museum practice in North America, governed by open and transparent policies. The AGO’s deaccessioning policy ensures that all proceeds from sales of art are used to purchase new works. A healthy museum collection is dynamic and shifting, and requires regular refining. One of our key priorities is to acquire works by artists who have traditionally been underrepresented in art museums. Deaccessioning allows us to evolve our collection in ways that will better reflect our current and future audiences.

This project began in 2014 in the European department. Recently the department of Indigenous & Canadian art has decided to deaccession 20 works by A.Y. Jackson, an artist who is exceptionally well represented in the Collection. After this work is finished, the AGO will still have 148 works by Jackson in its Collection. The selected works have not been exhibited for many years as they are similar in content and style to many others in the AGO Collection that are considered to be better examples of Jackson’s talent.

These works have first been offered for sale to several museums and galleries across Canada. Works that do not go to partner institutions will be sold through an auction house starting this spring, and the sales will fund new works for the Indigenous & Canadian department.

Want to read more about our deaccessioning policy? It can be found on the AGO website.