Art Gallery closes for eight months or more
The Art Gallery of Ontario has closed its doors to the public for at least eight months as a two-year renovation enters its final phase.
The McCaul St. and Dundas St. East gallery closed on Oct. 7, after holding a farewell the previous weekend during Nuit Blanche, the annual contemporary art festival.
The AGO is in the midst of a massive renovation project that will see upgrades and additions to both the interior and exterior of the building.
“We knew going into this that we would have to close the building to the public towards the end of the project,” said Linda Milrod, project manager at the AGO on Oct. 11. “Many of the spaces that we need to renovate are spaces that the public was going through.”
Crews are beginning the meticulous task of moving more than 5,000 works of art into redesigned galleries.
“It’s a major choreography… to work this all through,” she added.
The AGO officially launched the $254-million project back in 2002 when famed Canadian architect Frank Gehry was named architect for the redesign.
The renovation has added roughly an additional 100,000 sq. ft. to the existing building, including a four-storey south tower overlooking Grange Park and a sculpture area that will extend 450 ft. along the north side. Both are still in construction.
Once the AGO reopens sometime in mid to late 2008, it will be unrecognizable, as only one current exhibit—the Henry Moore collection — is staying put.
“We’re increasing space for viewing art by almost 50 percent, that is the big motivation for our project, to create more spaces,” said Milrod.
Despite the closure, the AGO is continuing to operate several programs temporarily at 60 McCaul St., including March break camps and other school programs.
The AGO is also present at various city events to promote the new redesign, and run several art programs online, where the public can upload and view works of art.
“We will try to stay as visible as possible during these months that our actual building isn’t open to the public,” Milrod said.
