Rather than face the onslaught of people who last weekend must have rushed to the Art Gallery of Ontario for its grand re-opening I have decided to visit approximately a week after inauguration. The Frank Gehry expansion is the latest major expansion at the AGO, but by all means this is not the first time the AGO has “transformed” itself. Since 1911 the AGO has undergone numerous site expansions, renovations, and of course new constructions. If my memory servers I’m pretty sure this is phase 4 for the AGO, definitely one of the largest and most visible changes, but no less important than previous steps in its development. If you are curious you can travel back in time and follow the developments of the AGO (formerly the Art Gallery of Toronto…did you know that?) here.
On November 14th, Torontoist.com visited, reviewed, and documented their take on the new AGO. Rather than reiterate the content, visit and be sure to check out the pics!
As a recent lapsed member of the ROM I have high hopes for the AGO which I will be visiting tomorrow, who knows, they might even get a new member out of me! Rather than contrast with what I view as the ROMs failed attempt to recreate itself, I’m going to try to objectively appreciate each as a distinct take on the two extremes of the Toronto museum scene. I’m going to let the building, art, and ideas talk for themselves and report back once I’ve digested it all! To be continued…
