A dynamic metropolis, Toronto teems with culture and entertainment, the former evident in the city’s many museums, where visitors in Fall will find a diverse roster of exhibitions.
Clarence Alphonse Gagnon (1881-1942), On the Beach of Baie St. Paul, 1909, oil on board, 15.9 x 23.5 cm, private collection. (Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid)
The capital of the Canadian province of Ontario, the city’s most distinctive landmark is the iconic CN Tower, standing some 553 metres high. But impressive as it is, culture vultures visiting Toronto are better off staying at ground level, where a wide number of museums can be found dotted across the city. You’ll find exhibitions taking place within their confines at all times of year, with Fall being no exception. Here are 7 of the best.
River of Dreams: Impressionism on the St. Lawrence
In the late 19th century, the Impressionist movement gained a foothold in Canada, and Quebec artists swiftly responded by producing works of immense beauty, often featuring landscape and city scenes. Many Quebec artists trained in France during this period, carrying the seeds of European modernism back with them to Canadian soil. This exhibition features a collection of masterworks that trace a journey from the bustling streets of Montreal – then Canada’s financial capital – down the St. Lawrence River to Quebec City and through the Charlevoix region. In doing so, it offers not just a statement on the quality of Quebec painting, but also a glimpse into the heart and soul of a culture, seen through the eyes of its most foundational artists.
McMichael Canadian Art Collection / Through 12 January 2025
Dressed to Impress: Footwear and Consumerism in the 1980s
Courtesy of the Bata Shoe Museum (Photo:
Margaret Mulligan)
Focusing on the 1980s, a decade when personal style was closely linked to the pursuit of success, this exhibition at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Ontario examines the evolution of consumerism and self-expression as a reflection of the times. Exploring some of the biggest trends of the decade and how advertising encouraged consumption, Dressed to Impress is organized into six sections: Dressed for Success, Work Hard/Play Hard, Let’s Get Physical, Mainstream Rebels, Pump it Up, and Designer Highlights. By looking around a gallery space that has been curated into a 1980s-inspired shopping mall complete with over 80 pairs of vintage shoes, visitors are invited to experience joyful nostalgia but also to think critically about how this decade continues to influence our consumer habits of today.
Bata Shoe Museum / Through 16 March 2025
Tishan Hsu: Interface Remix
American contemporary artist Tishan Hsu has gained widespread acclaim for his work that explores the nexus of technology and the human body. Informed by his time as an architect working as a “word processor” in the early 1980s, a period which exposed him to the accelerated use of software, his multimedia practices reflect his pioneering thinking. Among the works on display include a new site-specific work made from emergent technologies, plus key works from the last five decades alongside never-before-seen paintings and sculptures from the artist’s collection.
Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada / Through 26 January 2025
Earth: An Immersive Journey
A display at the Royal Ontario Museum’s ‘Earth: An Immersive Journey’ exhibition (Photo: Royal Ontario Museum)
Featuring ultra-high-definition, hyper-realistic 8K-resolution video projections shot in locations across the world, this multisensory exhibition takes visitors on an immersive tour through several of our planet’s vibrant ecosystems. As you walk through a captivating theatrical experience, habitats are brought to life through high-definition projections, scent diffusions, spatial audio, and atmospheric low lighting. From a windswept Arctic vista to a lush rainforest, this unique journey is designed to showcase the joyous interconnectedness of life and encourage us all to embrace the wonders of nature.
Royal Ontario Museum / Through 12 January 2025
Defaced! Money, Conflict, Protest
In the view of some, the banknotes and coins that comprise systems of money, with their portraits of leaders, emblems of national identity and heavily regulated production, are also an extension of state authority. For more than two centuries, many people – including artists – have taken out their displeasure with governments on money – punching it, scratching it and sometimes even digitally manipulating it. This exhibition features historical examples of defaced coins and banknotes alongside contemporary artworks. From painstakingly scratched pennies to re-imagined dollar bills, it tells the stories behind the damage that has often been inflicted on money, from the French Revolution to the Troubles in Northern Ireland to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Art Gallery of Ontario / Through 1 December 2024
John Logie Baird
A display at the MZTV Museum Of Television’s John Logie Baird exhibition (Photo: MZTV Museum Of Television)
In 1925, using a mechanical television system, Scottish inventor and engineer John Logie Baird became the first person to ever receive a recognisable moving TV image. This exhibition pays tribute to this historic moment, as well as his many other significant contributions to television as we know it today. Among the items on display include a scanning disc fashioned by Baird and one of the only three known surviving artefacts from his earliest work on television, original glass slides used by Baird during his lecture to the Hastings & District Radio Society in 1927, and an original Baird T14 television set from the late 1930s.
MZTV Museum Of Television / Through spring 2025
Light: Visionary Perspectives
Set against the backdrop of the Aga Khan Museum’s eye-catching architecture, which was designed to showcase the interplay of light, shadow, and form, this immersive exhibition continues that theme by exploring the omnipresence and impact of light. By harnessing light in a variety of different ways, the installations invites visitors to uncover the hidden force that has shaped history and which continues to influence our perceptions, emotions, and understanding of each other and the world around us.
Aga Khan Museum / Through 17 March 2025