Art Gallery of Ontario Announces September 2027 Opening for New $73 Million Wing

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has announced that its new five-storey wing, the Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery, will open to the public on September 25, 2027. This C$100 million (approximately $73.4 million) expansion is designed to increase the gallery’s exhibition space and accommodate its growing collection of modern and contemporary art.

The new wing will add 40,000 square feet of space overlooking Toronto’s Grange Park, increasing the AGO’s display area by about 30%. It includes 5,000 square feet of gallery space with ceilings reaching 23 feet high, providing an environment suitable for large-scale artworks. The expansion responds to the gallery’s collection growth, which has increased by about 18,000 pieces over the past decade.

The project was initiated by a lead donation of C$35 million from Dani Reiss, an art collector and CEO of Canada Goose. Funding for the gallery is now fully secured through contributions from a community of supporters and the governments of Ontario and Canada.

The design of the new wing involves collaboration among several architectural firms: Diamond Schmitt from Toronto, known for its work on Emily Carr University and the New Brunswick Museum; Selldorf Architects from New York, recognized for renovations of the National Gallery in London and the Frick Collection in Manhattan; and Two Row Architect from Ohsweken, Ontario, noted for the Perry Centre for Native American Art.

The AGO’s collection includes works by artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Claes Oldenburg, Kara Walker, Jasper Johns, and Roy Lichtenstein. Recent acquisitions include over 200 photographs by Peter Hujar and more than 450 works from collectors Carol and Morton Rapp. The gallery also holds the largest public collection of Henry Moore’s work outside the UK.

The outgoing director and CEO of the AGO stated that the new gallery will highlight the AGO’s evolution into a global institution. The federal government has expressed support for the project, emphasizing its sustainable and state-of-the-art design intended to serve future generations.

The Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery is set to become a significant cultural destination in Toronto, expanding the city’s art scene and providing visitors with access to a broader collection of modern and contemporary art.