Ago: Highlights from the Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario

AGO's collection of close to 95,000 works ranges from cutting-edge contemporary art such as Untilled (Liegender Frauenakt) by Pierre Huyghe to European masterpieces such as Peter Paul Ruben's The Massacre of the Innocents; from the vast collection by the Group of Seven to works by established and emerging Indigenous Canadian artists; with a photography collection that tracks the impact of the medium with deep holdings of works by artists such as Gary Winogrand and Diane Arbus; and with focused collections in Gothic boxwood miniatures and Western and Central African art. With each image accompanied by a brief text on the artist and work, the AGO Collection guide amounts to a survey course in western art.

Art has the ability to bridge cultures and create new ways of communicating. At its highest achievement, it gives pleasure through the act of looking and empowers us to perceive the world through a wider lens.

AGO: Highlights from the Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario recognizes the remarkable collection of the AGO. Featuring more than 300 works, this book showcases the depth and diversity of the Gallery's holdings -- from Rubens's masterpiece, The Massacre of the Innocents, to Arnaud Maggs's After Nadar photographs. Each entry includes a stunning reproduction, an insightful description, and detailed archival information.

Over the last decade, the AGO's world-renowned collection has grown immeasurably. Now readers have the chance to explore in print form many of these acquisitions, including photographs, First Nations objects, African art, and pieces from the Thomson Collection.

Jim Shedden is the Manager of Publishing at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). In that capacity, Shedden has produced books on Jack Chambers, IAIN BAXTER&, Josef Sudek, Giuseppe Penone, Sorel Etrog, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, David Blackwood, Iris Häussler, and Inuit Art. Shedden has also worked at the AGO as a curator of film, video and performance, and educator in the contemporary art department.