| Nic Name |
11-19-2002 04:11 PM |
Toronto-born Frank Gehry will design landmark
The Art Gallery of Ontario is moving ahead with a $500-million transformation, thanks to an "unparalleled" financial and artistic contribution from billionaire businessman and art collector Kenneth Thomson, Canada's richest.
Groundbreaking for an expansion designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry is set for early 2005, and the project is expected to be completed by 2007. I'm looking forward to the new AGO.
Quote:
Kenneth Thomson: Billionaire philanthropist has donated in trust the bulk of his art collection to the gallery. The collection, gathered over 50 years, comprises nearly 2,000 works.
Famous Paintings: The Thomson collection includes masterpieces by Paul Kane, Tom Thomson (79 paintings), Cornelius Krieghoff (more than 200 works), David Milne (182 works) and Lawren Harris, as well as some 500 rare European art objects dating from the Middle Ages to the mid-19th century.
Major Work: Massacre of the Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens, acquired by the Thomson family for $117 million, the highest price ever paid for an old master painting.
Size: The completed gallery will be second only to the National Gallery of Canada as a major repository of art.
Quote: "The greatest museums transform themselves into imaginative centres that reflect and enhance the world that surrounds them. Our vision is for the Art Gallery of Ontario to become such a place." Gallery director Matthew Teitelbaum.
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