Vancouver Art Gallery facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Vancouver Art Gallery

Northeast facade of the Vancouver Art Gallery
Established	April 1931; 94 years ago (1931-04)
Location	750 Hornby Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Type	Art museum
Visitors	305,421 (2020)

The Vancouver Art Gallery (often called VAG) is a famous art museum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It's located in downtown Vancouver next to Robson Square. This makes it the biggest art museum in Western Canada based on its building size.

The building was first designed by Francis Rattenbury. It opened as a courthouse before becoming an art museum in the early 1980s. In 1980, the building was named a National Historic Site of Canada.

The museum first opened in 1931 in a different building. It moved to its current location, the old courthouse, in 1983. The Gallery has a large collection of about 12,000 artworks. These works are by artists from Canada and around the world. The museum also hosts special exhibitions throughout the year.

Discovering the Gallery's History

In April 1931, a group called the Vancouver Art Gallery Association was formed. Their goal was to create an art museum for Vancouver. The museum officially opened on October 5, 1931, at 1145 West Georgia Street.

The first building was designed by Sharp and Johnston. It had four galleries, a sculpture hall, a lecture hall, and a library. It cost about CA$40,000 to build. When it first opened, the museum mostly showed art by British and European artists. In 1938, the museum was briefly occupied by unemployed protesters. Luckily, no paintings were harmed during this time.

In 1950, the museum updated its original building. They changed its look to a more modern style. These changes also made space for 157 artworks given to the museum by Emily Carr. The building reopened in 1951. The City of Vancouver and Lawren Harris helped pay for these updates.

Inside the museum's first building on West Georgia Street, 1932

Moving to a New Home

In 1983, the museum moved to its current spot, the former provincial courthouse. The building is still owned by the Government of British Columbia. The museum uses it through a long-term agreement with the City of Vancouver.

Before the museum moved in, the building was renovated by architect Arthur Erickson. This was part of a bigger project to redevelop Robson Square. The museum connects to Robson Square through an underground path.

The museum moved to the former provincial courthouse in 1983

Planning for the Future: A New Building

Since 2004, the museum has been planning to move again. This is because it needs more space for its art collection and exhibitions. In 2007, the museum announced plans to build a new home at Larwill Park.

In 2014, the famous architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron was chosen to design the new building. This is their first project in Canada! The new building was planned to be finished in 2020. It was named the Chan Centre for the Visual Arts after a big donor.

However, the project has faced delays due to funding. As of March 2023, the new building is estimated to cost $400 million. The museum has raised over $340 million from different sources. This includes a $40 million gift from the Chan Foundation and a huge $100 million donation from the Audain Foundation. This was the largest cash donation ever to a Canadian public art museum!

Construction for the new museum building officially began on September 15, 2023.

Past Exhibitions at the Gallery

The Vancouver Art Gallery often hosts amazing temporary and travelling exhibitions. Here are some of the cool shows they've had since 2005:

Banners outside the museum advertising the Surrealist Revolution in Art exhibition in 2011.

Exploring the Museum Building

The art museum is located in the beautiful former provincial courthouse. This large, neoclassical building was designed by Francis Rattenbury. It opened as a courthouse in 1911 and served that purpose until 1979.

In 1980, the building was recognized as a National Historic Site. Both the main building and its annex are also considered important heritage structures by the city. The Vancouver Art Gallery moved into this historic building in 1983.

The Void stairs inside the building. The building was completed in 1906 and became a National Historic Site in 1980.

The building's design features grand ionic columns, a central dome, and fancy stonework. It was built using marble from Alaska, Tennessee, and Vermont. Construction began in 1906.

A special feature of the building is a pair of granite lions. They sit on either side of the old courthouse entrance. These lions were carved from large granite pieces from Nelson Island and placed there in 1910. In 1942, the western lion was damaged by blasts, but skilled stonecutters repaired it. You can still see the line where the new pieces were added!

A Place for Community Gatherings

The front lawn and steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery are a popular spot for public gatherings and protests. It's a meeting place for events like Vancouver's Critical Mass bike rides, flash mobs, and the Zombie Walk. Many environmental demonstrations also happen here. The steps are a favorite spot for people to relax and socialize, especially in the summer.

In 2007, a countdown clock for the 2010 Olympic Games was placed on the front lawn. It was a popular attraction for visitors. After the games, the clock was taken apart.

In June 2021, a vigil was created here to honor the unmarked remains of children found at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. It featured 215 pairs of shoes, one for each child.

Discovering the Art Collection

As of December 2018, the Vancouver Art Gallery's permanent collection holds about 12,000 artworks. These pieces are by Canadian and international artists. The City of Vancouver officially owns the collection, and the museum takes care of it.

The collection mainly focuses on historical and modern art from the Lower Mainland region. About half of the artworks are by artists from Western Canada. The museum also collects First Nations art and art from Asia.

The collection is divided into several areas. These include contemporary art from Asia, photography, works by Indigenous Canadian artists from the region, and artists from Vancouver and British Columbia.

Works from the permanent collection on display in the museum

The museum's photography collection includes photos from the 1950s to today. It features works by the N.E. Thing Co. and photographers from the Vancouver School of conceptual photography. The collection of contemporary Asian art includes pieces by artists like Mariko Mori and Song Dong.

Canadian Art Highlights

The museum is a key place for art from the Lower Mainland and British Columbia. It has many works by famous Canadian artists. These include members of the Group of Seven, Gathie Falk, and Michael Snow.

The museum has a very important collection of works by Emily Carr, dating from 1913 to 1942. One of her paintings, Totem Poles, Kitseukla, was among the first artworks the museum bought before it even opened in 1931. As of 2023, the museum has over 250 works by Carr. The Vancouver Art Gallery and the National Gallery of Canada together hold the largest number of Carr's works in the world.

Untitled (Self-Portrait) by Emily Carr, c. 1924–25. The collection has many works by Carr.

The museum also has a collection of Indigenous Canadian art from the region. This includes works from Haida, Heiltsuk, Inuit, Kwakwakaʼwakw, Nuu-chah-nulth, Nuxalk, and Tlingit artists. The museum started regularly collecting Indigenous art in the 1980s.

In 2015, George Gund III gave the museum 37 First Nations artworks. These included totem poles by Ken Mowatt and Norman Tait, drawings by Bill Reid, and carved works by Robert Davidson. Other Indigenous artists in the collection include Sonny Assu and Rebecca Belmore.

Selected Works from the Collection

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  Roelof de Vries, Landscape with Stream and Windmill, unknown date.

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  William Hogarth, Portrait of Mr. Bridgeman, c. 1725–1730

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  Joseph Wright of Derby, The Captive from Sterne, 1774

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  David Cox, In the Hayfield, 1850

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  Emily Carr, Path among Pines, c. 1930

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  Emily Carr, Above the Gravel Pitt, 1937

Library and Archives

The Vancouver Art Gallery has a special library and archives. It focuses on modern, contemporary, and Canadian art. It holds over 50,000 books and exhibition catalogs. It also has files on many artists and art forms. You need to make an appointment to visit the library and archives.

The museum's archives keep all the official records since it opened in 1931. They also have files from artists like B.C. Binning.

Programs and Events

The Vancouver Art Gallery offers many public programs throughout the year. These include live performances under the FUSE program. They also host lectures by scholars, talks by artists, and dance and music shows.

In May 2015, architect Jacques Herzog gave his first lecture in Canada at the gallery. He spoke about architecture and the plans for the new Vancouver Art Gallery building.

See also

In Spanish: Galería de Arte de Vancouver para niños

• List of art museums
• List of museums in British Columbia