Art Gallery of Hamilton

Art Gallery of Hamilton

Art Gallery of Hamilton was founded in 1914 on the occasion of a bequest of paintings from the Estate of William Blair Bruce (1859-1906), and developed through the efforts of two former Directors, T.R. MacDonald (1947-1973) and Glen Cumming (1973-1989). The collection currently numbers approximately 7 500 objects - generalist in scope but having significant holdings of modernist Canadian, American and British painting and holdings in 17-18th century Dutch, 20th century French and mid-20th century European painting.

The contemporary Canadian collection has been expanded to include photo-based work and installations. The collection includes a significant holding of works on paper and prints - historical, modernist and contemporary, national and international (including the Karel Appel print archives) and a growing collection of 20th century national and international sculpture.

In the 1990s, programming was increasingly drawn from the collection to address critical issues in art practice and curatorial practice: exhibitions and installations developed in-house and by invited contract curators and artists. One major temporary contemporary exhibition a year is organized (a mid-career or senior artist), in combination with a group exhibition and an on-going program of regional-based artists project.