Art Gallery of Ontario Sets Opening Date for $73m Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has revealed that its new Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery will open on 25 September 2027. This five-storey addition, with a budget of C$100 million (approximately US$73.4 million), is designed to display around 400 modern and contemporary artworks.

The expansion adds 40,000 square feet to the AGO, increasing its display space by about 30%. The new wing features gallery spaces with ceilings up to 23 feet high and overlooks downtown Toronto’s Grange Park. This development addresses the need for more exhibition space, as the AGO’s collection of modern and contemporary art has grown by approximately 18,000 pieces over the past decade.

The architectural team for the project includes Toronto-based Diamond Schmitt, known for their work on the Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver and the upcoming New Brunswick Museum in Saint John. They are joined by New York-based Selldorf Architects, recognized for renovations at 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 at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont.

Recent acquisitions have further expanded the AGO’s collection. Last year, the gallery acquired more than 200 photographs by Peter Hujar and received over 450 works from the late collectors Carol and Morton Rapp, including pieces by Robert Rauschenberg, Claes Oldenburg, Kara Walker, Rachel Whiteread, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Lee Bontecoue, and David Hockney. The AGO also holds the largest public collection of Henry Moore’s work outside the UK. Two years ago, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Henry Moore Sculpture Centre, the city of Toronto declared 13 November to be Henry Moore Day.

The project was initiated by a lead gift of C$35 million (about US$25.7 million) from Dani Reiss, an art collector, chairman and CEO of Canada Goose, and a member of the Order of Canada. The gallery reports that the project is now fully funded, with support from a community of donors and the governments of Ontario and Canada. The federal government has expressed pride in supporting a sustainable, state-of-the-art gallery that will host modern and contemporary art for generations to come.