Art Gallery of Ontario Reflecting
some 600 years of human creative endeavor, the gallery’s permanent
collection contains more than 68,000 works in all media. The Canadian
collection is particularly impressive .
Royal Ontario Museum Canada’s
foremost museum offers an excellent balance of art, archeology,
science, and nature, and has more than six million artifacts in its
collections .
Ontario Science Centre Over
800 high-tech, interactive exhibits within 11 specially themed
exhibition halls aim to make science fun and fascinating. Youthful
visitors can navigate their way in a rocket chair, climb the rockwall,
touch a tornado, and explore the hair-raising effects of electricity .
Ontario Science Centre
Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art The
only museum in North America devoted solely to ceramics was founded in
1984 by private Canadian collectors George and Helen Gardiner to
showcase their extraordinary collection of pre-Columbian American
pottery and European porcelain. Recent additions include Asian ceramics
and contemporary artwork .
Design Exchange Located
in the magnificent former Toronto Stock Exchange building, an Art Deco
gem built in 1937, this center celebrates postwar Canadian design.
Furniture, housewares, sportsgear, and medical equipment are among the
items in the permanent collection and highlight the role of design in
daily life. The center also hosts major national and international
exhibitions. A gorgeous mural on the upstairs Trading Floor depicts
Canadian industrial themes . Textile Museum of Canada A
permanent collection of over 10,000 fabrics, quilts, ceremonial cloths,
and carpets from around the world are housed in this small but
excellent museum. Temporary contemporary exhibits round out the
historical artifacts.
Robe, Textile Museum
McMichael Canadian Art Collection The
outstanding Group of Seven collection is the treasure of this gallery.
The Group endeavored, in the early 20th century, to express a
distinctive national identity through their paintings of the Canadian
wilderness .
McMichael Canadian Art Collection
Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery Known
for its boundary-pushing exhibitions of contemporary Canadian and
international art, this edgy, non-collecting gallery features rotating
shows of consistently high quality. If the art sometimes mystifies
visitors, at least the building is instantly recognizable: a brick
smokestack tops the 1920s converted power station .
Toronto Dominion Gallery of Inuit Art As
Inuit tool makers turned their skills to sculpting, the culture
experienced a renaissance, this time in artistic achievement. Most of
the 200 pieces in this gallery specializing in postwar Inuit sculpture
are carved soapstone, each evocative of the landscape, culture, and
legends of the indigenous people of Canada’s harsh Arctic region. The
gallery’s design echoes that of the TD Bank Tower, by renowned modernist
architect Mies van der Rohe .
Bata Shoe Museum This
unusual building, resembling a stylized shoebox, houses more than
10,000 shoes, covering 4,500 years of footwear history. Artifacts
represent an unparalleled range, from Ancient Egyptian funerary shoes
(1500 BC) to 19th-century Nigerian camel-riding boots to Marilyn
Monroe’s red leather pumps .
Bata Shoe Museum
Top 10 Small Museums
Gibson House Museum Elegant 1851 Georgian farmhouse .
Mackenzie House Home of Toronto’s first mayor (1834) .
Toronto’s First Post Office A historic museum and working post office .
Ydessa Hendeles World-class collection of works by international contemporary artists. 778 King St W 416 413 9400 Open noon–5pm Sat Adm
MOCCA Toronto’s newest museum promotes innovative works. 952 Queen St W 416 395 0067 Free
Redpath Sugar Museum Next door to a refinery, it tells the history of sugar production. 95 Queens Quay E 416 366 3561 Closed Sat, Sun
Campbell House Oldest remaining building (1822) in the city .
University of Toronto Art Centre Works by Picasso and Matisse, tucked in University College. 15 King’s College Circle 416 978 1838 Free
Toronto Police Museum and Discovery Centre Interactive displays, fascinating police artifacts, and exhibits chronicling infamous crimes. 40 College St 416 808 7020 Free
CBC Museum Celebrates the people and programs of Canada’s national broadcaster. 250 Front St W 416 205 5574 Free
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