Established in 1853, the Government of Ontario Art Collection has over 2600 original works of art. Some are installed in public areas of government buildings. Others are available for loan to offices of members of the Legislative Assembly, Ministers and Deputy Ministers as well as other government officials.

Hi, I’m Lani Wilson, Curator of the Government of Ontario art Collection. I’m here in the art vault at the Archives of Ontario where we store works from Ontario’s Art Collection.

Built in 2009 this facility is equipped with climate controlled vaults and fire suppression systems to protect the artwork. Because the works are made with everything from wood to metal, plastics, stone and fabrics, we keep the vault at a constant 18 degrees Celsius and 50% relative humidity.

The Government of Ontario Art Collection has a large selection of contemporary and abstract works, such as this acrylic on canvas painting by Claude Breeze and many traditional landscapes, such as these oil paintings by Marc-Aurele de Foy Suzor-Cote andGeorge Agnew Reid.

In addition to over 300 works stored on these rolling racks, works are also stored in acid-free map cabinets and custom-made archival boxes.

Come and see for yourself. Book a tour of the Archives of Ontario and find out more about the Government of Ontario art collection at ontario.ca/archives

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