Past
Exhibitions

Close to Home brings together paintings, drawings, and prints created in and around Kleinburg, Vaughan, Thornhill, North York, Markham, Bolton, Orillia, Barrie, and neighbouring locales.

Inspired by the pioneering research of Sandra Paikowsky, this exhibition showcases a stunning selection of Morrice’s canvases, pochades, and sketches, revealing his unique vision of Venice.

Acquisitions breathe new life into museum collections. Fresh Air presents a selection of the McMichael’s recent acquisitions, presented in dynamic dialogue with long-held works from the collection. This exhibition offers a fresh perspective on the art of Canada through unexpected juxtapositions and thematic groupings that inspire curiosity, reflection and delight.

This selection of works from our permanent collection aims to convey something of its current breadth, taking particular pleasure in placing apparently disparate works in creative conversation with one another.  Featuring works by Kananginak Pootoogook, Rebecca Belmore, Edward Burtynsky, Franklin Carmichael, Emily Carr, Kim Dorland, Sorel Etrog, Paterson Ewen, Lawren Harris, Prudence Heward, Gershon Iskowitz, A.Y. Jackson, Cornelius Krieghoff, Jean Paul Lemieux, Arthur Lismer, An Te Liu, Zachari Logan, Helen McNicoll, David Ruben Piqtoukun, David Milne, Michael Snow, Tom Thomson and others.

Tales of Empire presents bodies of work by Douglas that examine various colonization efforts globally, over time—an enduring theme that shapes much of his work. Curated by McMichael Executive Director and Chief Curator Sarah Milroy, the exhibition brings together five major photographic series that reflect Douglas’s incisive investigations into history, memory, and the impress of empire on both landscapes and lives.

Early Days presents more than 100 works from the McMichael’s permanent collection spanning more than two centuries, from 18th-century regalia and trade items to Northwest coast masks, to the groundbreaking work of artists from the 1960s through the 1980s, and powerful contemporary pieces by leading voices today.

Old Growth invites visitors to experience the McMichael’s most iconic and enduring treasures, artworks that have shaped the way generations have seen and felt the Canadian experience.

The Tree Planters is a striking photographic series by award-winning Canadian photographer Rita Leistner. Through large-scale, painterly portraits captured in real-time, Leistner documents the gruelling and heroic labour of professional tree planters in British Columbia. Her work explores themes of human endurance, environmental stewardship, and Canada’s evolving relationship with its forests.

Using drawing and photo-based gel transfer techniques, Toronto based Sandra Brewster’s site-specific installation at the McMichael depicts the Essequibo River in Guyana and its distinctive fish species, evoking the fluidity and dynamism of water as a metaphor for migration and transformation.

In the late 19th century, Quebec artists embraced Impressionism, blending European modernism with Canadian landscapes and city scenes. This exhibition highlights masterworks from Montreal to Charlevoix, enriched with archival photography and artifacts that reveal the heart of Quebec’s cultural identity.

Since the 1990 transfer of 90,000 works on paper from the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, new generations of Kinngait artists have emerged onto the contemporary art scene, capturing visions of their community into the new millennium.