Gehry's AGO Opens in Toronto

TORONTO, Nov. 14 /CNW/ - The transformed Art Gallery of Ontario opened its doors to the public today, launching three days of free admission to celebrated architect Frank Gehry's spectacular re-imagination of the institution and more than 4,300 works of art in 110 light-filled galleries.

"The new AGO is an extraordinary home for extraordinary art," says A. Charles Baillie, AGO board president. "The AGO's newly expanded collection and Frank Gehry's innovative design for his first Canadian building will inspire and celebrate the creativity within every visitor."

Nearly 40% of the artworks on display are new to the Gallery, representing recent gifts or purchases. Core among them are the extraordinary works given to the AGO by the late Ken Thomson and his wife Marilyn - a unique collection of Canadian paintings, European small-scale sculpture, ship models, and such masterworks as Peter Paul Rubens's The Massacre of the Innocents, as well as outstanding Renaissance and Baroque drawings. The Thomson Collection is among the most significant private art collections in the world.

With its expanses of glass and natural light, Canada's first Frank Gehry building connects the art museum with the city and offers stunning architectural moments, including Walker Court's spiral staircase, the new Vivian David Campbell Centre for Contemporary Art and the 600-foot-long Galleria Italia sculpture promenade.

"Art meets architecture in Frank's design, where spaces flow into one another and the works are installed to encourage a seamless journey," says AGO director and CEO Matthew Teitelbaum. "Visitors will make memorable connections between life and art."

Coinciding with its opening, the AGO also announced that the Transformation AGO Campaign has surpassed its goal of $276 million. More than 3,500 donors contributed to the project, 47 of them making gifts of $1 million or more. The Thomson family contributed a total of $100 million to the transformation - $30 million of it for enhanced features beyond the original scope of the project. Both the provincial and federal governments also generously supported the project. In total, the AGO has raised an unprecedented $300 million for its transformation.