The Art Gallery of Ontario was established in 1900, being referred to as the Art Museum of Toronto. The original gallery was a building constructed in 1817, located opposite Grange Park. The gallery received great attention due to the renovation work done by Frank Gehry. The already existing spaces were renovated and only a few floor spaces were added. Several reasons were given in support of the renovations. The design of Toronto’s AGO focuses on improving social interactions among community members, using exceptional structural and decorative wood elements.
Ritualistic Behavior of AGO Visits
The visit to the AGO is a ritual as propelled by the idea that a museum is a place similar to a sanctuary. From this perspective, Toronto’s AGO is regarded to be a place of grace and peace. Theoretically, visiting the AGO is a ritualistic behavior that happens within the secular framework of the museum. Essentially, the AGO is a big museum as per its architecture and structure and, as such, the museum is far away from the outside world. Monumental presence and processional entries through the space shape experience in a ritual way. Primarily, the AGO is regarded to be a secular place where the authoritative truth is the secular truth. The ritual frame in the museum is brought up by the fact that museums are regarded to be older ritual sites and sites designated for rituals. In this case, a social fabrication of how a person ought to behave in this environment is available and should be done following the protocol.
The art visit is socially constructed as the AGO keeps on changing its art with time and that is the reason why they are always on the lookout to attract more people due to changes in ideologies. In this connection, the AGO is then regarded to be ideologically inflicted. The AGO’s art features and modern art focus on bringing up ideologies that vary over time and, in particular, some art like modern works tend to have ideological differences in comparison to the traditional arts. In this respect, the AGO’s institutional framework encourages people to visit the museum by showing art that tends to have different ideologies. Therefore, the visits to the AGO are ideologically inflicted. Therefore, the roles of the AGO museum are ideologically inflicted as it communicates society’s values and beliefs through art. [1: Carol Duncan, and Alan Wallach, "The universal survey museum," Art history 3, no. 4 (1980): 448-69.]
The AGO is a source of education and a source of information due to many ideologies that are geared toward the community. The AGO has products and shows cultural processes that help to improve interactions among community members. Movements and multiculturalism are brought up in the AGO and, hence, it helps to show difficult and sensitive issues in the national institutions. In this regard, the AGO tends to integrate people, thereby creating a sense of belonging among different local communities. The museum shows the personal histories of people and brings a platform where people can see different perceptions and attitudes of local communities given their national and personal associations and affiliations. Therefore, the museum is important since its heritage, art, and culture help to improve the relationship among people, communities, and society in general. [2: Ibid., 448-69.]
Components of the Universal Survey Museum at the AGO
The main entrance to the AGO starts the ritual. At the entrance, the space is visible and its architecture shows classical music pieces. The historical framework of the AGO is depicted by iconographic antiques visible from the Walker Court. One of the European galleries that comply with the universal survey museum is the Louvre. From Walker court, one can view the grand vistas and attractive spaces that hold all kinds of antiques from the French Renaissance and Italian architecture. The left entrance next to the Daru Gallery contains the Roman sculpture that shows the Augustus statues. The Louvre is an art museum that holds is regarded highly as one of the European Universal Survey Museums.
Just like the Metropolitan Museum of New York, National Galleries in London, and the Louvre, the AGO epitomizes the universal survey museum. Essentially, the AGO is renowned for presenting a wide range of art history. Presently, the AGO is a place where there are many ornaments with claims to civic and cultural importance. In this regard, the AGO is depicted to have a component of the universal survey museum. The AGO does not only have the component of the universal survey museum, but it is also one of the first museums to emerge historically (The AGO Collection, 2018). Specifically, at the very beginning, the AGO was established with the idea of being a public art museum. Interestingly, the term public museum means the universal survey type. Therefore, the Art Gallery of Ontario has components of a universal survey museum because it brings great value to the community.
Permanent Exhibits Different from the Model
The AGO’s collection such as Untilled (Liegender Frauenakt) by Pierre Huyghe depicts a universal survey museum. However, big collections of Canadian art by Diane Arbus and Garry Winogrand in the AGO epitomize Canadian artwork with an emphasis on the art of Toronto and Ontario. In this respect, the museum is regarded not to have a component of the universal survey museum since the artwork does not represent the universal outlook. Therefore, the Canadian art collection's permanent exhibits in the museum seem to depart from this model.
Canadian Art and its Link to the European or US Canon of Works
The Art Gallery of Ontario is located in Toronto, Canada, which is the country’s biggest city. The AGO is among the biggest museums in North America. The art gallery hosts over 95,000 different works, including European masterpieces like The Massacre of The Innocents and cutting-edge contemporary art like Untilled. Frank Gehry’s major expansion work is among many works that make the AGO a highly-photographed architectural landmark. Canadian art is given a large space due to the need to show a large collection of modern and indigenous artworks done by Canadian artists. However, still European art, Canadian art, First Nations art, African art, and Latin American art also take up significant space although the volume of work in this category is not as large as that of Canadian art. The Art Gallery of Ontario is not considered to be autonomous. Some entities that fund the AGO include the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, the federal government, the City of Toronto, as well as donors and private-sector partners.
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Relation of the First Nations or Indigenous Artefacts to the Universal Narrative and Canadian Art
The First Nations or indigenous artifacts are linked to the universal narrative of art history. Interestingly, the indigenous artifacts and the First Nations aim to educate the masses about international art. Surprisingly, the historical conditions of the indigenous artifacts and, in particular, art found in the AGO are meant to be internationally visible. Considering the art museum’s historical origins, internationalism is not astounding. As such, the AGO is seen to depict the artwork of Europeans, Africans, and Americans among others, which means that they have a universal outlook in terms of the selection of artworks. The First Nations or indigenous artifacts are linked to internationalism, which is seen today in the museum, and it is valued as a potent engine of ideology. The First Nations or indigenous artifacts are also linked to Canadian art. The AGO has a broad range of Canadian art collections despite its focus on the art in Toronto and Ontario. The indigenous arts or First Nations contain a large art collection expressing human artworks and are linked to the Canadian artworks in numerous ways. The AGO has indigenous artifacts that also include several Canadian artists like David Milne, thereby portraying the historical perspective of the Canadian work. Indigenous art at the AGO currently includes works from First Nations, Inuit, and Metis, as well as global Indigenous Art from Africa, Australia, and the Torres Strait Islands. [3: Carol, "The universal survey museum," 448-469. ]
Conclusion
In summary, the AGO symbolizes Canada’s ideology and state. The artistic work presented in the AGO presents the state not directly but in spiritual forms. The artistic form presented in the artworks in the AGO shows the best values of the state that border on nationalism and individualism. Essentially, the benevolence of the state and Canada’s historical past are demonstrated. The AGO’s ritualistic framework is complicated since the ideal history ought to be reconciled with Canada’s different historical past. The monument also shows republican nationalism by showing European, Asian, and African arts, which shows that it acknowledges other nations. Therefore, the AGO exalts Canada by showing its universal artistic prowess, which embodies that the universal element is acknowledged in the state.
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