The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has received one the largest private donations of art in its history, one that includes international luminaries as well as selections from widely influential Canadians.
The donation from the estate of late businessman Philip Lind consists of 37 works from 24 artists.
“It’s a significant collection, particularly in terms of quality,” said gallery CEO Stephan Jost. “It’s the right work by the right artist.”
The collection includes works by Philip Guston, a leading abstract painter who returned to figurative work, Ai Weiwei, a Chinese dissident artist whose work is on display around the world, and British sculptor Anthony Gormley.
But Jost is particularly excited about a selection of work from the so-called “Vancouver School” of photographers — artists such as Jeff Wall, Stan Douglas and Rodney Graham.
“If you look back at the last 30 years, there’s one Canadian art movement that becomes globally important,” Jost said.
Jost said those Vancouver-based artists, described as photo-conceptualists, turned away from small-format black-and-white images to large photographs of staged tableau that dealt with art history, media and the artist’s role in shaping our views of reality. The Lind donation greatly increases the gallery’s holdings of that school, said Jost.
“We’re not strong in that area. We have two Jeff Walls. We’re getting five more.”
Jost said Lind, who was intimately involved in the growth of Rogers Communications, was an innovative businessman who carried his interest in creative thinking into the arts.
“He was always open to seeing things from a different perspective,” Jost said.
The Lind donation will be exhibited at the gallery from November through fall 2025. A catalogue of the show is being produced.