Art Gallery of Ontario

Behind a long, curving wall of wood and glass on an uptown street stretches one of the great art museums of the country, its galleries holding centuries of art from the region and around the world. This is the Art Gallery of Ontario, redesigned by a world-famous architect who grew up just streets away.

The gallery grew over more than a century into a major collection, and in the 2000s it was dramatically reworked by an architect born in the city, who wrapped its front in a sweeping curve of timber and glass and added bold new spaces within.

That long wood-and-glass gallery along the front is one of the building's signatures, a warm, light-filled corridor looking out over the street, as much a piece of sculpture as a place to walk.

The collection's heart, for many, is its Canadian art, including the bold landscapes of the early-twentieth-century painters who shaped how the country saw its own wild scenery, hung in galleries devoted to that national story.

The gallery also holds one of the great collections of sculpture by a famous modern British sculptor, a gift that fills a light-filled hall with massive, smooth bronze and plaster forms, a favourite of many visitors.

Beyond these, the collection ranges across European painting, Indigenous and contemporary art, photography, and more, so the gallery moves from old masters to living artists across its many floors.

The architecture and the art play off each other throughout, with a spiralling staircase, the curving facade, and new top-floor galleries giving the old museum a sense of light and movement.

As with any large gallery, it rewards choosing a focus, the Canadian landscapes, the sculpture hall, a special exhibition, rather than trying to march through every room in one visit.

The gallery sits near the art-and-design district and the university, so it pairs with a wander through that creative part of the city, and it makes a fine refuge on a cold or wet day.

It runs major touring exhibitions alongside its permanent collection, so it is worth checking what is on, and it holds regular free or discounted evenings that are among the best times to visit.

A few practical notes. Entry is ticketed, with free or reduced admission at certain times; book ahead for big exhibitions. Choose your galleries before you go, and allow a couple of hours at least.

Stand among the bold national landscapes, then in the hall of great smooth sculptures, with the curving wood facade glowing nearby, and the gallery's blend of art and architecture comes together. When you step back out onto the street, the long timber wall curves away, the work of a local talent made good.