Toronto collectors Carol and Morton Rapp generously donate more than 450 artworks to the Gallery

The AGO has announced a landmark gift from the late Carol and Morton Rapp: more than 450 artworks by 203 artists. This gift, including artworks by esteemed artists such as Jasper Johns, David Hockney, William Kentridge, Robert Rauschenberg, Kara Walker, Andy Warhol and Rachel Whiteread, is one of the most significant in the AGO’s recent history.  

The gift arrives at a transformative moment, as the AGO continues to build the Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery, adding 40,000 square feet of gallery space. This donation will strengthen the Gallery’s Prints and Drawings Collection, enabling it to tell the full story of the medium’s renaissance in the late 1960s and 1970s and its ongoing evolution throughout the early 21st century.  

The gift also underscores the Rapp’s enduring commitment to the AGO, which has spanned over six decades. The couple began donating works to the Gallery in 1966, contributing nearly 1,000 works, including this latest gift.  

“More than collectors, Carol and Morton Rapp were stewards of great art, eager to share and preserve the things that brought them pleasure, beauty, and insight,” says Stephan Jost, Michael and Sonja Koerner Director and CEO of the Art Gallery of Ontario. “During their lifetimes, they contributed immensely to the cultural fabric of Toronto and the AGO, and this gift by their family is a heartfelt expression of their enduring commitment to this place.”   

“Carol and Morton Rapp were passionate collectors and supported major artists for more than 60 years,” says Jay Smith, AGO Trustee and son-in-law.  “They were globally connected and committed to building collections at the AGO and MoMA. One of the distinct legacies of this gift is that they worked closely with living artists and this shared energy is alive in the gift.”

See more of the works, in last week’s Foyer online magazine (scroll to the bottom of the page for a more extensive carousel of images, HERE.)