November 14, 2023

Toronto, ON, November 14, 2023 — The Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has been designed by Diamond Schmitt, Selldorf Architects, and Two Row Architect to meet net-zero carbon operating standards, and this will be made possible thanks to an investment of $25 million from the federal government. Announced by Minister Sean Fraser and Stephan Jost, Michael and Sonja Koerner Director and CEO of the Art Gallery of Ontario, the new gallery will showcase great art while being energy efficient and operate without burning fossil fuel.

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is Canada’s leading visual art museum, attracting almost 1 million visitors annually. Over the last decade, the AGO has experienced rapid growth in its collections, with over 20,000 works of art added in the past five years alone. To accommodate its growing collection of modern and contemporary art, the AGO is building the Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery which will increase the AGO’s total space available to display art by 30%. In addition to meeting net-zero carbon operating standards, the five-floor, 40,000 square foot gallery space, will be dynamic enough to display the works of today’s great modern and contemporary artists and adapt to the needs of future generations of artists working across all media.

“The Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery is a net-zero carbon building that will allow us to showcase extraordinary art, from a wide range of cultures, in a world class building," said Stephan Jost. "The architecture team, donors, and now the federal government have joined forces to ensure the AGO will continue to be a leading global art museum.”

Read the full press release here.