Visit the best art galleries in Toronto and be mesmerized by the beauty of all their artworks!
Toronto’s vibrant art scene features plenty of exhibitions, events, and spectacular markets all over the city to help you discover a wide range of amazing art. And to further narrow down your go-to art galleries, we created this article to help you find the next big thing in the art industry!
How Did We Choose Them
Curating a list of the best art galleries in Toronto can be very challenging. First, how do you consider an art gallery to be the best? Is it by housing masterpieces of well-known artists?
This article required a lot of research for different art galleries in Toronto based on their:
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Types of artwork featured
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Best pieces of art
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Price
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Google Reviews and Rating
But more than anything else, a great art gallery has the capacity to constantly question how things have been done in the past. This can be done by supporting new, young, or politically engaged work and by welcoming the expansion of both traditional and cutting-edge media.
Our Top Picks
Out of the five art galleries on the list, the Art Gallery of Ontario and Royal Ontario Museum stood out among the rest, making them our top picks. These two just have a lot of artworks that you can look into, and each section of these places is full of stories that will keep your interest until the end.
You’ll learn more about them as you read further. But as a tip, a day of roaming around these art galleries may not be enough for you!
Where Can You Find Them
The Google Map below pinpoints the location of each art gallery within Toronto.
Here are five of the best art galleries in Toronto you definitely shouldn’t miss!
Art Gallery of Ontario
Go Here If You’re Looking For: Canadian art, European art, Contemporary art, African art
Art Gallery of Ontario is one of Canada’s most popular tourist destinations – thanks in part to its impressive collection of more than 100,000 pieces of art. It’s also home to some of the country’s most iconic architecture, including Frank Gehry’s 2008 expansion.
Whether you’re a fan of European masters, Central African artists, or contemporary pieces that challenge and inspire, you’ll find it all at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Plus, with over 1 million visitors every year, there’s never been a better time to visit!
Best Artworks:
The Massacre of the Innocents
Artist: Peter Paul Rubens
The artwork illustrates the biblical account from Matthew’s Gospel, which describes the killing of young infants close to the town of Bethlehem.
Corpus
Artist: Gian Lorenzo Bernini
For a long time, it was thought that this particular sculpture was the work of an unidentified French artist. It wasn’t until more investigation was conducted in 2004 that it was determined to be a long-lost piece created by the Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Adam and Eve
Artist: Albrecht Dürer
The engraving from 1504—Dürer’s most well-known piece—displays his scientific background and obsession with the human body and anatomy. Adam and Eve serve as a representation of his ideal physique proportions, which he tried to capture in all of his works.
What People Think About It:
Pros
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Every room has a lot of stories to tell
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Wide selection of arts
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Free for people under 25 years old
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Lots of aids for those with accessibility challenges
Cons
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Needs a lot of time to finish the entire museum.
Price: AGO Annual Pass costs $35 which allows you to enjoy unlimited visits per year.
Location: 317 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M5T 1G4
Google Rating: 4.7 out of 5.0 Stars (14,169 Reviews)
Royal Ontario Museum
Go Here If You’re Looking For: All types of artwork from all over the world.
The Royal Ontario Museum exhibits works of art, culture, and nature from all over the world. The largest and most comprehensive museum in Canada, which ranks among the top ten cultural institutions in North America, is home to a top-notch collection of 13 million works of art, cultural artifacts, and specimens from natural history. This collection is displayed in 40 gallery and exhibition spaces.
ROM plays a critical role in increasing our understanding of the artistic, cultural, and ecological worlds as the nation’s premier field research institute and a global leader in discoveries.
Best Artworks:
The Striding Lion
Mounted in the throne room of King Nebuchadnezzar II 2,000 years ago.
The striding lion of Babylon originally decorated the citadel of the Nebuchadnezzar castle, a city famous for many of the world’s great wonders. The painted relief on clay bricks from the throne room is one of the Royal Ontario Museum’s outstanding, must-see artifacts.
A Buffalo Pound
Artist: Paul Kane
The Buffalo Pound tells as much about Kane’s approach to a topic that was very interesting to him as it does about concerns of patronage. One of fourteen artworks created for Sir George Simpson, the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) governor who approved and supported Kane’s journey through HBC territory, this specific painting shows bisons being herded into a corral for slaughter.
What People Think About It:
Pros
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Has different sections of historical ages from all over the world
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Natural history and art & culture museums rolled into one
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Many child-friendly exhibits
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Museum will teach you a lot of information and is definitely worth visiting
Cons
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Early closing time at 5:30 PM
Price: General admission tickets start at $23 for adults.
Location: 100 Queens Park, Toronto, ON M5S 2C6
Google Rating: 4.7 out of 5.0 Stars (29,312 Reviews)
Gardiner Museum
Go Here If You’re Looking For: Clay and Ceramic arts
Gardiner Museum believes that creativity, wonder, and community can inspire one another through clay and ceramic traditions. They work to engage their audiences through exhibitions, programs, and hands-on classes while preserving a significant permanent collection with an emphasis on historical ceramics.
By taking innovative approaches to clay education, their ceramic collection is something that art enthusiasts should definitely look into!
Best Artworks:
Emaciated Male and Female Seated Figures
Classification: Ancient America
Late Formative period seated figures of a male and female from Nayarit, with the female kneeling on her left leg and carrying a bowl on her thigh. The male figure is dressed in an intricate headband with projections above and to the sides, and his crossed arms are lying atop his raised legs.
Presence Through Absence
Artist: Arina Ailincai
A work of art that focuses on human feet and was cast by the creator using actual body parts. The ceramic sculpture’s startling resemblance to the genuine bodily part is simply the beginning of an examination of the universal human condition of being an embodied self through visual means.
What People Think About It:
Pros
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Tons of unique and beautiful ceramic collections from all over the world
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Friendly and knowledgeable staff
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Offers classes on clay pottery
Cons
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The museum is more interesting for adults than kids
Price: $15 for adults
Location: 111 Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON, M5S 2C7
Google Rating: 4.4 out of 5.0 Stars (291 Reviews)
401 Richmond Building
Go Here If You’re Looking For: A wide range of artwork, from paintings to film.
Over 140 cultural producers and micro businesses are based at the historic warehouse of 401 Richmond in downtown Toronto. A diverse range of businesses and artistic practices are currently being pursued in Toronto’s cultural district, which is reflected in the building’s eclectic tenant base.
Currently, there are 12 art galleries and artist-run centers in 401 Richmond, as well as fashion designers, filmmakers, jewelers, architects, animators, healers, communications experts, graphic artists, milliners, nonprofits, and even a Spanish dancing school.
Best Artworks:
A True Reflection
Artist: Emma Juliette Sherland, hal october, and Marzieh Miri
In A True Reflection, three artists are brought together in using a camera as a tool for introspection and self-validation. The photo above is just a part of their total collection for the whole exhibit.
Smoke
Artist: Duane Nickerson
The painting shows a deeper examination of the intricate visual pattern created by trees’ slow growth and deterioration. Time is a constant topic for the subject matter. The method of layering combinations of the basic, physical medium of oil paint on a canvas surface and pastel lines on paper reflects this process of slow change.
What People Think About It:
Pros
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Gorgeous building featuring diverse art galleries
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Excellent place for arts, design, and culture
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Has a beautiful courtyard
Cons
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No available parking
Price: Free admission
Location: 401 Richmond St W Studio 277, Toronto, ON M5V 3A8
Google Rating: 4.6 out of 5.0 Stars (237 Reviews)
Arta Gallery
Go Here If You’re Looking For: Eclectic collection of contemporary artwork. Also if you’re looking for a venue for your events.
Arta Gallery’s mission is to promote the beauty of art in daily life and stimulate creativity in a highly diversified environment. They have offered a convenient location for artists to display their work in the Toronto community since 2003.
Now a fully functional event space, the gallery offers a distinctive setting for weddings, fundraisers, and corporate events while promoting art to a larger audience. This was accomplished by constructing a larger space to display professional commercial art for collectors, artists, and the general public.
Best Artworks:
Leap of Faith
Artist: Andrew Benyei
The bronze sculptures of Andrew Benyei emphasize motion and show his passion for the human form, whether it be as an athletic dancer or a more Rubenesque bather. As he shapes the initial clay from which the final figures will be cast, his creations practically change because he views bronze as an almost liquid, flowing substance.
Floreros 1
Artist: Maria Moreno
Mara Moreno, a primarily self-taught abstract artist, has developed her distinctive style by following her intuition and pushing the boundaries of conventional painting. Mara primarily uses acrylic to create her paintings, which range from the political to the natural and beyond, and are rich in texture and contrast.
What People Think About It:
Pros
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The venue can be booked for events such as weddings and corporate functions.
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Various artworks displayed with spacious layout
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Features artworks from local and international artists
Cons
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Prices of artworks can range from affordable to very expensive
Price: Free
Location: 14 Distillery Lane, Toronto, ON M5A 3C4
Google Rating: 4.4 out of 5.0 Stars (201 Reviews)
Immerse Yourself In The World of Art
There are tons of art galleries in Toronto for you to choose from, but the ones mentioned above will definitely expose you to the kind of art you’ve never seen before. Created by well-known artists all over the world during different periods of time, these artworks represent the history and rich culture of where they came from.
If you’re into learning different forms of art, visiting the best art galleries in Toronto is a must!