The
Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) now houses
a bigger and better collection of art, with some tremendous additions
from the Thomson and Frum collections. They include a stunning collection
of European art and sculpture, a flotilla
of extraordinary model ships, and art and sculpture from sub-Saharan
Africa. Plus there's the old favourites:
11000 years of Canadian art, Dutch and Flemish masters, Henry Moore, and
a big contemporary collection overlooking Grange Park.
The blockbuster show King Tut: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs runs until April 18. Rembrandt/Freud: Etchings from Life brings together prints by Rembrandt with those of the contemporary British artist Lucien Freud, grandson of Sigmund. Both loved to draw human figures and to get under the skin of their subjects, and their similarities and differences make for a great show. To May 23.
Palmsonntag by Anselm Kiefer |
Sculpture as Time features some major works from the AGO's collection, as well as some new acquisitions, in a show focusing on time and artists' responses to it. To August 1. Anselm Kiefer's Palmsonntag (Palm Sunday) is a major work, huge in scale, by one of the most important artists of post-war Europe. It includes a cycle of 44 paintings and a palm tree. To August 1.
At the Royal Ontario
Museum: the ever-popular Bat Cave is reopened and is now bigger
and better, with more bats, animatronics
and atmospheric sights and sounds. Plus
there's the permanent collection - everything
from Chinese temple art to the
amazing collection of crystals which
inspired Daniel Liebeskind's glass and
metal extension. Among the current exhibitions:
Dan Perjovschi |
Return to the Silt Lands by Holly King |
At Leo Kamen Gallery, at 80 Spadina just north of King, Return to the Silt Lands features photography by Holly King, and give us our dream: part ii is a collection of photos by Crystal Liu, whose delicate work resembles painting as much as photography. To March 20. Get updates on the Leo Kamen site.
Still in our neighbourhood (and even closer to Le Sélect) is Nicholas Metivier Gallery, 451 King St West, west of Spadina. The Olympus Series by Malcolm Rains is a collection of abstract paintings inspired by scenes from Greek mythology. To March 20. Check out the gallery website.
Swan Lake |
Factory Theatre is also an easy walk from Le Sélect, and always features outstanding new Canadian theatre. who knew grannie: a dub aria runs March 18 to April 4, in which four cousins return to Jamaica for the burial of the grandmother who raised them. Featuring Loretta by George F. Walker runs May 6 to June 6, and is full of classic Walker-style mayhem and comedy. See more on the Factory Theatre website.
The Canadian Opera Company at the Four Seasons Centre at Queen and University presents Wagner's The Flying Dutchman from April 24 to May 10. Maria Stuarda by Gaetano Donizetti is inspired by Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. From May 1 to May 30. Check the COC website for details. Also sharing the Four Seasons Centre is the National Ballet of Canada, whose Swan Lake runs to March 21.
