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As the largest city in Canada, Toronto is blessed with a vibrant art scene from the largest museum of its kind in the country to some of the smaller up-and-coming galleries.

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Toronto Sun readers have spoken and your favourite art museum in the city is the ROM, aka the Royal Ontario Museum.

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1. Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)

Opened in 1914, the ROM is among the top 10 cultural institutions in North America, and is Canada’s largest and most comprehensive museum.

It houses a world-class collection of 18 million artworks, cultural objects and natural history specimens, featured in 40 gallery and exhibition spaces. Combining its original heritage architecture with the contemporary Daniel Libeskind-designed Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, ROM is also an eye catching Toronto landmark.

“We’re delighted to learn that ROM has been named the city’s top art museum by Toronto Sun readers,” says Sally Tindal, ROM’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer.

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“As Canada’s world museum, serving the public is at the heart of everything we do, so recognition from our community means a great deal. And while many people know us for our iconic dinosaurs, we’re thrilled to see our art celebrated as well – from the fan-favourite Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition currently on display, to the upcoming original exhibition Shokkan: Material Encounters in Japanese Art, opening this April.”

There’s also free admission for everyone on the third Tuesday night of every month, from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. but special exhibitions are not included with advance tickets are required and walk-in entry not available.

Here’s the rest of the Top 5 that you voted for:

2. The McMichael Canadian Art Collection (in Kleinburg)

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Not technically in Toronto, but qualifies for the GTA, and because it houses one of the finest collections of Group of Seven art it can’t be ignored. One current exhibit is called Old Growth Masterworks by the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. Robert and Signe McMichael bought the land in 1952 and began collecting works of art by Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven and by 1965, the collection comprised 194 paintings. The couple offered to donate their collection, home and land, and on July 8, 1966, the “McMichael Conservation Collection of Art” officially opened with stunning grounds where visitors can explore 100 acres of forested land that includes the historic Tom Thomson shack, and the McMichael Cemetery, where six members of the Group of Seven are laid to rest. On the third Sunday of every month, the gallery offers free admission to families featuring art workshops, tours, and performances.

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3. Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)

With its now distinctive Frank Gehry-designed facade, the AGO was first founded in 1900 by a group of private citizens as the Art Museum of Toronto and has grown to one of the largest art museums in North America, with more than 90,000 works in its collection and a physical facility of 583,000 square feet. The AGO focuses on Canadian, European, African and contemporary art, and houses the world’s largest public collection of works by internationally renowned British sculptor Henry Moore. Among the current exhibits is Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm, which features the former Beatle and his camera documenting the Fab Four’s rise during Beatlemania — which I saw and would highly recommend. Admission to the AGO is free the first Wednesday night of each month, between 6pm – 9pm and you have to book your admission tickets online in advance to ensure entry.

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4. Gardiner Museum

Right across the street from ROM, I highly recommend doing a two-fer, i.e. seeing both, one after the other with lunch in between at the Gardiner’s Clay restaurant overlooking Queen’s Park. In case you missed the hint, the Gardiner focuses on ceramic art, which describes any object made of clay and fired. It was was established in 1984 by George and Helen Gardiner, whose founding collection was divided into two principal areas: Earthenwares and porcelain. There is now 5,000 objects in the collection and the first floor got a recent facelift. It’s free admission on Wednesdays after 4 p.m. and open until 9 that night.

5. Arta Gallery

More a gallery than a museum,  a large part of the draw to this space, founded by Fay Athari in 2003, is its location in the heart of Toronto’s Historic Distillery District where you can grab a coffee, go shopping, have a meal or just walk the cobblestone streets. In other words, make a day of it. “We are dedicated to fostering creativity within a hyper-diverse space and promoting the beauty of art in our everyday lives,” says the gallery on its website. “We have provided an accessible space for artists to showcase their artworks within the Toronto community, offering an eclectic collection of contemporary work by both Canadian and international artists.” Arta Gallery underwent “a major expansion in June 2008.”

Hey Toronto Sun Readers: What should our next top 5 be?

Don’t be shy about letting us know what subject you’d like to see of a future Top 5 poll and vote.

The subject can be anything from local — like your favourite swimming area — to Ontario — like favourite places for weekend getaways — or even favourite ways of distraction online be it entertainment, sports or lifestyle.

Please send your ideas to torsun.online@sunmedia.ca.

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