I love the AGO!

I have to confess though, I love it more for the architecture than the art.  I've enjoyed the art every time I was there but the art seldom evokes the same passion as when I looked at the spiral staircase or the Galleria.  I will share with you some of those photos, taken shortly after the Frank Gehry redesign of the Art Gallery of Ontario was completed in 2009.


We visited the gallery again yesterday to take in the Picasso exhibit from Paris and the Toronto debut show by the Chinese artist Zhang Huan on Ash Paintings and Memory Doors.  The Picasso needed no introduction but the Zhang Huan show was a little different.  The much sought after artist had gone through some tough times but is now rich and famous.  His work commanded millions and one of his commissions in Toronto was the dragon sculpture Rising outside the new Shangri la hotel.  We will also be seeing his work at the opera later this month.  Handel's Opera Semele will be performed under his artistic direction at the Four Seasons Centre and part of the set consists of a Ming dynasty Chinese temple that he had rescued from some small town in China.  Check on the links to learn more.

The very top of the spiral

The stunning "ballustrade" 

Looking up at the top of the spiral

View of the spiral from Walker Court

The spectacular Galleria on a Sunday morning (the only time you'll find it empty)

Memory Door "Buddha"