McMichael Canadian Art Collection

Name: McMichael Canadian Art Collection
Address: 10365 Islington Avenue, Vaughan, ON, L0J1C0, CA
Telephone: +19058931121
Price range: $$

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McMichael Canadian Art Collection

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The McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, ON, is a public art gallery uniquely devoted to collecting & exhibiting the art of Canada.

The McMichael is temporarily closed for a once-in-a-generation redevelopment, with plans to reopen in 2029. The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is the largest publicly funded art gallery in Canada that focuses exclusively on Canadian and Indigenous art, both historical and contemporary. The permanent collection consists of over 6,500 artworks by Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven, their contemporaries, and First Nations, Métis, Inuit and contemporary artists who have contributed to the development of the art of Canada. The McMichael is also the gallery of record for works on paper from the Inuit community of Cape Dorset (Kinngait) and is the custodians for the Cape Dorset archive, a resource of more than 100,000 artworks. View and browse over 4,000 digitized works from the archive through our online portal, Iningat Ilagiit (A Place for Family).

10/15/2026

Please note: our parking lot is now closed. 🏗️

As construction moves into its next stage, the parking lot is no longer accessible by car. The grounds and trails remain open and accessible on foot until further notice.

Thank you for your patience as we transform — we look forward to welcoming you back in 2029!

Learn more → mcmichael.com/mcmichael-reimagined

10/14/2026

Calling all teachers! 🍎

Join us on Sunday, October 25, from 11 am–12:30 pm for a free virtual event introducing what’s new at the McMichael for the 2026–27 school year.

We’ll be previewing two new curriculum-connected artmaking programs — both developed in collaboration with artists and designed to bring meaningful creative experiences directly into your classroom. Following the previews, the McMichael’s Head of Creative Learning will join for a Q&A about educational programming during our multi-year redevelopment.

Free for teachers + one guest. The event takes place on Zoom — a link will be sent upon registration.

Register now → https://tickets.mcmichael.com/Selection.aspx?sch=32259

10/11/2026

Happy Thanksgiving! Today, we’re celebrating the season with Clarence Gagnon’s autumnal scenes from 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦.

Completed in the early 1930s, these are the final paintings made for what is arguably the most famous illustrated book by a Canadian artist: 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦, a novel written by the French novelist Louis Hémon and published in 1933 by Éditions Mornay in Paris. These paintings were gifted to the McMichael in 1969 by Colonel R. S. McLaughlin and were the first works by a francophone Quebec artist to enter the collection.

1/ Clarence Gagnon, 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 1928 - 1933, gouache over graphite with pastel and/or coloured pencil and watercolour on paper, 21.4 x 19.1 cm, Gift of Colonel R.S. McLaughlin, 1969.4.27
2/ Clarence Gagnon, 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥, 1928 - 1933, gouache and mixed media on paper, 7.3 x 7.9 cm, Gift of Colonel R.S. McLaughlin, 1969.4.1
3/ Clarence Gagnon (1881-1942), 𝘖𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳, 1928-1933, oil pastel and watercolour over graphite on paper, 18 x 20.1 cm, Gift of Colonel R.S. McLaughlin, 1969.4.29

10/08/2026

“Art must be even more than translation. An artist never insults nature by trying to reproduce her creations. Learning from nature, an artist tries himself to create.” — Elizabeth Wyn Wood

Happy birthday, Elizabeth Wyn Wood!

Born in Orillia, Ontario, Wood (1903–1966) transformed what sculpture in Canada could be. At a time when the landscape was largely the domain of painters, she brought it into three dimensions, translating islands, rocks and trees into clean, curving forms.

Her sculptures of islands in Georgian Bay and Lake Simcoe were groundbreaking, marking the first time an artist in Canada sculpted the landscape in three dimensions. In 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘯, Wood depicts a lone, windswept pine on a small rocky island — a subject beloved by her contemporaries in the Group of Seven.

Through minimal, elegantly executed forms, Wood created a dynamic and expressive vision of the Canadian landscape. Her work confidently stands alongside that of the painters of her day, while demonstrating the unique possibilities of sculpture as a way of seeing and interpreting the land.

Elizabeth Wyn Wood (1903–1966), 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘯, 1928, plaster, 80.3 x 105.2 x 19.7 cm, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, purchased 1991, 1991.13.

10/06/2026

90,000+ works. 450 cartons. 300 crates. One remarkable team. 📦

While the McMichael building undergoes a once-in-a-generation redevelopment, our Collections, Conservation, Tech Services and Library & Archives teams have been hard at work on a full collection decantation — carefully relocating one of Canada's great art collections, one work at a time.

Get an inside look at the process — and meet the dedicated team making it happen — in a new article from McMichael Magazine. → https://mcmichael.com/from-the-archive/moving-mountains/

10/05/2026

📚✨ Today we celebrate the incredible educators who inspire us every day!

At the McMichael, we're grateful for the teachers and teaching artists across the country who bring Canadian art into classrooms and communities. Thank you for your passion, creativity, and commitment to inspiring the next generation.

Happy ! 🙌

Learn more about our in-classroom and virtual education programs → mcmichael.com/learn/schools/

10/03/2026

"The obedient in art are always the forgotten . . . The country is glorious but its beauties are unknown, and but waiting for a real live artist to splash them onto canvas . . . Chop your own path. Get off the car track." - A.Y. Jackson, Montreal, letter to Florence Clement, Berlin, Ontario, March 5, 1913.

Today we celebrate the birthday of A.Y. Jackson (1882–1974), a trailblazing member of the Group of Seven, whose bold vision brought Canada’s landscapes to life on canvas. 🌲🎨

Happy Birthday, A.Y. Jackson! 🥂

📍 Featured works from the McMichael Collection:
1/ A.Y. Jackson, 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘵 𝘛𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺, c. 1939, oil on canvas, 71.7 x 92 cm, Gift of the Founders, Robert and Signe McMichael In Memory of Soren and Kristen Sorenson, 1966.16.98
2/ A.Y. Jackson, 𝘏𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺, 𝘖𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰 (𝘕𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦), c. 1933, oil on canvas, 77.3 x 81.7 cm, Gift of Mr. S. Walter Stewart, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1968.8.28
3/ A.Y. Jackson, 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢 𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴, 1937, oil on canvas, 64 x 81.2 cm, Gift of the Gounders, Robert and Signe McMichael, 1971.13.8

10/02/2026

Hello, October. 🍂

09/30/2026

Today, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we're reflecting on 𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 by Pierre Aupilardjuk — and the story behind the work.

The sculpture’s title speaks to longstanding inequities between settlers and Indigenous peoples, and to the ways Indigenous knowledge, generosity and collaboration have been relied upon throughout the history of colonial settlement.

The work comes to the McMichael with the following story from Aupilardjuk:

“My mother and father had made an igloo on the ice in front of the Catholic church in Naujaat. A priest had come from Kugaaruk (Pelly Bay) to Naujaat. It was the time of year when there is no sun. The Catholic priest asked for their qudlik. He wanted to give it to a teacher who wanted one. My mother and father thought they would get paid, or be given something to eat, so my mother cleaned it very nicely and gave it to my father to give to the priest. They received nothing in return. That winter, they had no light, heat, or cooked food. My parents really suffered, and they both said they did not know how they survived that year.”

The stories held within the collection continue to invite reflection — and to remind us of the importance of listening to Indigenous artists and the histories they carry forward.

🖼️ Pierre Aupilardjuk (b. 1965), 𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨, 2016, smoke-fired porcelain. Gift of Marnie Schreiber, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 2023.2.

09/28/2026

On Thursday, October 29, show your support for Canadian artists, galleries and our creative ecosystem at the Opening Night of Art Toronto 🎨

With 4 pm or 6 pm entry, Opening Night is your chance to explore the fair before it opens to the public, get first access to work from leading galleries, and enjoy complimentary drinks and light bites while mingling with artists, collectors and gallerists in a lively party atmosphere. Hosted by and benefiting the McMichael.

Your ticket also includes premium re-admission every day at 11 am and VIP Lounge access all the weekend.

First Edition tickets are almost gone — once they sell out, prices go up!

Get yours now → mcmichael.com/event/art-toronto-2026/

Address

10365 Islington Avenue
Vaughan, ON
L0J1C0

Telephone

+19058931121

Website

https://www.mcmichael.com/

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