Hi everybody!

Oh the tyranny of spring – last week people were celebrating the beginning of spring with the emergence of light jackets and short sleeves (gasp) but this week it snowed! If anything, at least we are all used to this push and pull seasonal rhythm!

I (Nicole) wanted to share the above picture that was taken recently on one of my nightly walks through High Park. When I leave the house, I choose to go out once the sun has set as the streets are almost empty – this results in many more urban sightings of the great Toronto wilderness (racoons and skunks anyone?). In this picture, as the sun was setting through these majestic pines, I overheard a pack of coyotes yipping in celebration of their recently caught dinner. It is truly all about these small joys now!

Please read on!

Favourites from the Online Collection

What we are loving in the collection

Today, Christine Endrulat, Visitor Experience Manager, shares more of her favourites from current, and past, exhibitions:

I recently received an email from Jim Gibson, one of our Visitor Services Representatives. Jim is currently isolating with his family in Vancouver and sent me some photos of a park with totem poles that he frequents. The photos reminded me of the totem poles in our Indigenous Collection and the golf bag totem poles that were part of the exhibition Brian Jungen Friendship Centre. Those were definitely a conversation piece! 

This had me then reflecting on the AGO’s amazing Indigenous Collection. It is very diverse in that it includes pieces from the First Nations, Inuit, and Metis as well as global Indigenous Art from Africa, Australia, and the Torres Strait Islands. We have also been fortunate to have several exhibitions in the past few years focusing on Indigenous Artists:

• Brian Jungen Friendship Centre         
• Tunirrusiangit: Kenojuak Ashevak and Tim Pitsuilak 
• Rebecca Belmore: Facing the Monumental       

One of my favourites was Connecting with Our First Family. The images on the walls in the Community Gallery were large, intricate and majestic. Standing in the space was powerful yet humbling. And I still have some of the colouring papers of the images that were available!

Writing about these collections is making me miss the AGO! I am also realizing that I have been taking the opportunity to view the artwork for granted. I have started to put together a list of what I want to see when we reopen – and topping the list is the African Collection – something I haven’t visited in a very long time. What are you looking forward to seeing again?

Focus on the Collection: The Malcolmson Collection

Are you missing the AGO’s collection of photography while you’ve been home? Why not check out the extensive collection of photographs from the Malcolmson collection here.  Regarded as one of the most important collections of historical photography in Canada, the Malcolmson Collection is comprised of bold experimental photographs by such artists as André Kertész, Robert Frank, Man Ray, Manuel Álvarex Bravo to name a few. Their works feature a range of approaches and reveal the variety of Modernist visions, often in the context of broader art movements such as Surrealism, Constructivism and post–World War II Expressionism. The photographs explore notions of how to see a city, how to reveal subconscious impulses and how to construct a new world.

To learn more about the collection, watch the video HERE:

Armchair Traveller – Let’s go to the Musée d’Orsay in Paris

Today, we will be “travelling” to the Musée d’Orsay in jolie Paris! There are over 278 works available to view online, including works from their Modern and Impressionism collections with artists such as Gustave Caillebotte, Vincent van Gogh, James Tissot and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Click here to view these works where you can also choose to navigate through the galleries or, watch the journey of the museum from its origins as a train station!

While you are navigating these incredible works of Impressionism, you may be interested in checking out the video below which features an interesting discussion between Dr. Denise Murrell (curator of the groundbreaking exhibition Posing Modernity: The Black Model from Manet and Matisse to Today), Dr. Caroline Shields (Impressionism in the Age of Industry: Monet, Pissarro and more) and Dr. Julie Crooks (Mickalene Thomas: Femmes Noires) to discuss the connections between these shows, how artists and curators are re-examining art history and so much more.  Watch the video, HERE

Be well and stay healthy,

Jonathan, Christine, Trish and Nicole

VE Managers