AGO keeps getting better, scores two major exhibitions

The Art Gallery of Ontario will host two world-class exhibitions in the coming year, further cementing its status as a player in the international art circuit. The first show, titled Abstract Expressionist New York, will feature 100 pieces from MoMA’s permanent collection, including works by big names like Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Arshile Gorky and Robert Motherwell. It’s the first MoMA show at the AGO in 34 years, and Toronto is the only Canadian stop of the exhibition’s tour, which was a hit in New York.

The second show—Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde: Masterpieces from the Collection of the Centre Pompidou—pulls 120 Russian-themed paintings directly from the Centre Pompidou’s vaults. Marc Chagall and Wassily Kandinsky are both well-represented in the exhibition, which brings the Paris gallery’s collection to the AGO for the first time. It is also the only North American stop of the travelling show.

The shows are a coup for AGO director Matthew Teitelbaum. Between the two, he’s managed to bring a sizable chunk of the last 100 years’ most famous artists home to Toronto for our viewing pleasure. Our kudos.

• Masterpieces by Chagall, Rothko and more coming to AGO in 2 blockbuster shows [Globe and Mail]
• 2 stunning shows in 2011 AGO lineup [Toronto Star]
• Some of the works coming to the AGO [Globe and Mail]