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{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox museum
| name            = Vancouver Art Gallery
| logo            = Vancouver Art Gallery logo.svg
| image           = Vancouver Art Gallery (29787380987).jpg
| caption         = Northeast facade of the Vancouver Art Gallery
| coordinates     = {{coord|49.282875|-123.120464|display=title,inline}}
| established     = {{Start date and age|1931|4|df=y}}<ref name=doe>{{cite web|url=https://council.vancouver.ca/020627/Csb3.pdf|work=Financial Statements of The Vancouver Art Gallery Association: Years ended December 31, 2001 and 2000|publisher=City of Vancouver|date=20 February 2002|page=5|title=Purpose of the Organization}}</ref>
| location        = 750 Hornby Street,<br />[[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], Canada
| type            = [[Art museum]]
| visitors        = 305,421 (2020)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://biv.com/datatables/biggest-tourist-attractions-bc-2021|url-access=subscription|title=Biggest tourist attractions in B.C. in 2021|website=biv.com|publisher=Business in Vancouver|access-date=20 April 2021|date=8 February 2021}}</ref>
| director        = Sirish Rao and Eva Respini<ref name=staff>{{cite web|url=http://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/leadership|website=vanartgallery.bc.ca|title=Leadership|access-date=27 November 2019|year=2019|publisher=Vancouver Art Gallery}}</ref>
| curator         = Diana Freundl, Richard Hill, Stephanie Rebick<ref name=staff/>
| publictransit   = 
| website         = {{URL|https://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/}}
}}

The '''Vancouver Art Gallery''' ('''VAG''') is an [[art museum]] in [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], Canada. The museum occupies a {{convert|15,300|m2|sqft|adj=mid|-building}} adjacent to [[Robson Square]] in [[downtown Vancouver]], making it the largest art museum in [[Western Canada]] by building size. Designed by [[Francis Rattenbury]], the building that the museum occupies was originally opened as a provincial courthouse, before it was re-purposed for museum use in the early 1980s. The building was designated the Former [[Law Courts (Vancouver)|Vancouver Law Courts]] [[National Historic Sites of Canada|National Historic Site of Canada]] in 1980.

The museum first opened its doors to the public in 1931, housed within a structure crafted by the architectural firm Sharp and Johnston. In 1950, the museum underwent its initial expansion within this original building. Later, the institution embarked on a transition to the former provincial courthouse premises, with the relocation being completed in 1983. Subsequently, in the late 2000s and 2010s, the museum initiated plans for a further relocation to a new facility situated in [[Larwill Park]].

The Gallery's permanent collection serves as a repository of art for the [[Lower Mainland]] region, and has approximately 12,000 works by artists from Canada, and around the world. As of 2020, the museum holds seasonal exhibitions as well as hosts [[travelling exhibition]]s.

==History==
In April 1931, the Vancouver Art Gallery Association was established under the provincial ''Society Act'', in order to establish and maintain a museum for the City of Vancouver.<ref name=doe/> The Association opened the art museum to the public at 1145 West [[Georgia Street]] on 5 October 1931.<ref>{{cite book|title=Spaces and Places for Art: Making Art Institutions in Western Canada, 1912-1990|publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press|page=37|last=Whitelaw|first=Anne|year=2017|isbn=978-0-7735-5068-1}}</ref> The building was designed by architectural firm Sharp and Johnston, and featured four galleries, one of which included a sculpture hall, a lecture hall, and a library.<ref name=hist1>{{cite web|url=https://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/art-from-the-archive-the-first-vancouver-art-gallery|title=Art from the Archive: The first Vancouver Art Gallery|first=Kevin|last=Griffin|date=21 January 2015|work=Vancouver Sun|publisher=Postmedia Network Inc|access-date=24 November 2019}}</ref> The cost to construct the building was approximately {{CAD|40,000}}.<ref name=hist1/>
[[File:Interior of the Vancouver Art Gallery.jpg|thumb|Interior of the museum's first building at [[Georgia Street|West Georgia Street]], 1932]] 
Works by British, and other European artists dominated the works exhibited at the museum at the time of its opening.<ref name=hist1/> In 1938, the museum was one of the buildings occupied by unemployed protesters during a [[sitdown strike]] in the weeks leading up to [[Bloody Sunday (1938)|Bloody Sunday]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vancouversun.com/news/this+history+june+1938/6806416/story.html|title=This day in history|work=Vancouver Sun|publisher=Postmedia Network Inc|date=19 June 2012|access-date=24 November 2019}}</ref> Paintings were not damaged while the protesters occupied the building.<ref name=canen>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/vancouver-art-gallery|title=Vancouver Art Gallery|last1=Watson|first1=Scott|last2=Holmes|first2=W.|date=4 March 2015|access-date=24 November 2019|encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia|publisher=Historica Canada}}</ref>

In 1950, the museum conducted renovations to its building, reshaping the design of the building towards an [[International Style (architecture)|International Style]] of architecture;<ref name=canen/> with the removal of the building's [[Art Deco]] facade.<ref name=histoff>{{cite web|url=http://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/history|title=History|website=vanartgallery.bc.ca|publisher=Vancouver Art Gallery|year=2019|access-date=24 November 2019}}</ref> Renovations were also conducted to accommodate the 157 works bequeathed to the museum by [[Emily Carr]], with the building reopened to the public in 1951.<ref name=histoff/> Cost for the renovation was approximately {{CAD|600,000}}, funded by the City of Vancouver government, and funds raised by [[Lawren Harris]].<ref name="C4WDefault-1446633">{{cite web |url=http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=dc202e69-7d3a-4f8a-944b-61d45cf15d30&k=95119 |title=Vancouver Art Gallery aims to rival world's iconic art centres |work=canada.com |date=22 November 2007 |access-date=12 April 2014 |publisher=Postmedia Network Inc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140412111000/http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=dc202e69-7d3a-4f8a-944b-61d45cf15d30&k=95119 |archive-date=12 April 2014 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
[[File:Art Gallery (229999805).jpeg|thumb|The museum was relocated to the former provincial courthouse in 1983]]
In 1983 the museum was relocated to its present location, the former provincial courthouse.<ref name=canen/> The building continues to be owned by the [[Government of British Columbia]], although the museum occupies the building through a 99-year sublease signed with the City of Vancouver government in 1974;<ref name="C4WDefault-1446633"/> who in turn leases the building from the provincial government.<ref name=council>{{cite web|url=https://council.vancouver.ca/previous_years/990708/csb3.htm|title=Vancouver Art Gallery - Annual Report & 1999 Operating Grant Request|publisher=City of Vancouver|date=19 June 1999|access-date=24 November 2019}}</ref> Before the re-purposed building was opened to the public, it was renovated by architect [[Arthur Erickson]] at a cost of {{CAD|20}} million, as a part of his larger three city-block [[Robson Square]] redevelopment.<ref name=histoff/> The gallery connects to the rest of Robson Square via an underground passage below [[Robson Street]].

In 2015, the museum purchased 10 oil sketches by [[J. E. H. MacDonald]]. Shortly after the VAG unveiled the works, questions surrounding their provenance emerged, leading to a nearly nine-year investigation that ultimately revealed the sketches were forgeries.<ref name=CBC2023>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/fake-oil-skteches-group-of-seven-j-e-h-macdonald-vancouver-art-gallery-1.7060736|title=These Group of Seven artist's sketches are fake — and that's the point of this Vancouver Art Gallery exhibit|work=[[CBC News]]|date=December 15, 2023|access-date=July 25, 2024}}</ref>

===Relocation planning===
Planning to relocate the museum began as early as 2004, a result from the gallery's need for more exhibition and storage space for its collections.<ref name=histoff/> In November 2007, the museum announced plans to move to seek the approval of [[Vancouver City Council]] to build a new building at [[Larwill Park]].<ref name="C4WDefault-1446633"/> In May 2008, the municipal government and the museum announced plans to relocate around the [[Plaza of Nations]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/vancouver-art-gallery-to-double-in-size-in-new-home-1.757527|title=Vancouver Art Gallery to double in size in new home|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=20 May 2008|access-date=12 April 2014|work=CBC Arts}}</ref> However, Vancouver City Council later reversed its decision in April 2013, opting to approve the original proposed site in Larwill Park.<ref name=cbc1>{{cite web|url=http://www.vancouversun.com/health/vancouver+city+council+ready+give+green+light+gallery/8285286/story.html|work=Vancouver Sun|publisher=Postmedia Network Inc|date=23 April 2013|access-date=24 November 2019|title=Vancouver City council ready to give the green light to new art gallery|first=Darah|last=Hansen}}</ref> The museum would occupy the building under similar arrangements as the former courthouse, with the museum leasing the property from the City of Vancouver.<ref name=vs2>{{cite web|url=https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/governments-fail-to-match-public-support-for-vancouver-art-gallery-with-cash|title=Governments fail to match public support for Vancouver Art Gallery with cash|date=13 September 2019|access-date=24 November 2019|last=Griffin|first=Kevin|work=Vancouver Sun|publisher=Postmedia Network Inc}}</ref>

The museum issued a [[request for qualification]]s for a new building design in September 2013.<ref name=vs1>{{cite web|url=http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Vancouver+Gallery+chooses+Herzog+Meuron+design+building/9787395/story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128023058/http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Vancouver+Gallery+chooses+Herzog+Meuron+design+building/9787395/story.html|url-status=dead|title=Vancouver Art Gallery chooses Herzog & de Meuron to design new building|last=Griffin|first=Kevin|work=Vancouver Sun|date=29 April 2014|access-date=24 November 2019|archive-date=28 November 2019|publisher=Postmedia Network Inc}}</ref> [[Herzog & de Meuron]]'s bid was selected by the museum in April 2014.<ref name=vs1/> The development of the Vancouver Art Gallery's new building is the first project for the architectural firm in the country.<ref name=vs1/> [[Perkins and Will]]'s Vancouver branch was contracted as the project's executive architects.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archpaper.com/2019/01/herzog-de-meuron-revamped-vancouver-art-gallery/#gallery-0-slide-0|title=Herzog & de Meuron reveals revamped Vancouver Art Gallery|last=Hilburg|first=Jonathan|date=29 January 2019|access-date=27 November 2019|work=The Architect's Newspaper|publisher=he Architect's Newspaper, LLC}}</ref>

The building was originally planned to be completed in 2020, and was named the Chan Centre for the Visual Arts after a major donor.<ref name=vs1/> However, developments for the project stalled due to a funding dispute between the federal and provincial governments.<ref name=vs2/> As of March 2023, the new building's cost is estimated at $400 million. As of March 2023, the museum has raised over $340 million from public and private sources. Over $190 million was raised through private donations, including a $40 million contribution from the Chan Foundation in 2019 and a $100 million donation from the [[Michael Audain|Audain Foundation]] in 2021. The latter was the largest cash donation to a Canadian public art museum.<ref name=vs1/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-art-gallery-construction-modular-housing-larwill-place|title=Temporary modular housing to be dismantled ahead of new Vancouver Art Gallery construction start|website=dailyhive.com|date=20 April 2023|access-date=27 May 2023|publisher=Buzz Connected Media|first=Kenneth|last=Chan}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.archpaper.com/2021/11/herzog-de-meurons-stacked-vancouver-art-gallery-gets-another-refresh-and-100-million/|title=Herzog & de Meuron's stacked Vancouver Art Gallery gets another refresh and $100 million|date=9 November 2021|last=Hilburg|first=Jonathan|publisher=The Architect's Newspaper|website=www.archpaper.com}}</ref>

[[Groundbreaking]] for the new museum building occurred on 15 September 2023,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2023/09/15/new-vancouver-art-gallery/|title=New Vancouver art gallery breaks ground|first=Pippa|last=Norman|date=15 November 2023|website=vancouver.citynews.ca|publisher=Rogers Digital Media|access-date=25 January 2024}}</ref> with construction taking place on the site in March 2024. However, it was later paused in August. On December 3, 2024, the gallery announced it had scrapped its proposed building design after projected costs rose from $400 million to $600 million. Herzog & de Meuron were removed from the project.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-art-gallery-redesign-scrapped-1.7400422|title=Vancouver Art Gallery scraps design for new building after costs soared to $600|last=Kulkarni|first=Akshay|date=3 December 2024|access-date=12 June 2025|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|website=www.cbc.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-03 |title=New Vancouver Art Gallery plan scrapped, board seeks new design |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/new-vancouver-art-gallery-plan-scrapped-board-seeks-new-design/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=CTV News Vancouver |language=en}}</ref>

===Select exhibitions since 2006===
The Vancouver Art Gallery has organized and hosted a number of temporary, and [[travelling exhibition]]s. A select list of exhibitions held at the museum since 2005 include:
{{col div|colwidth=22em}}
* ''Brian Jungen'' (2006)
* ''Monet to Dali: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art'' (2007)
* ''KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Comics + Video Games + Art'' (2008)
* ''[[Vermeer]], [[Rembrandt]] and the Golden Age of Dutch Art Masterpieces from [[Rijksmuseum|The Rijksmuseum]]'' (2009)
* ''[[Leonardo da Vinci]]: The Mechanics of Man'' (2010)
* ''The Colour of My Dreams: The Surrealist Revolution in Art'' (2011)
* ''Collecting Matisse and Modern Masters: The Cone Sisters of Baltimore'' (2012)
* ''Beat Nation: Art, Hip Hop and Aboriginal Culture'' (2012)
* ''Grand Hotel: Redesigning Modern Life'' (2013)
* ''Charles Edenshaw'' (2013)
* ''The Forbidden City: Inside the Court of China’s Emperors'' (2014)
* ''Unscrolled: Reframing Tradition in Chinese Contemporary Art'' (2014)
* ''[[Cezanne]] and the Modern: Masterpieces of European Art from the Pearlman Collection'' (2015)
* ''How Do I Fit This Ghost in My Mouth? An exhibition by Geoffrey Farmer'' (2015)
* ''Embracing Canada: Landscapes from Krieghoff to the [[Group of Seven (artists)|Group of Seven]]'' (2015)
* ''[[Douglas Coupland]]: Everywhere Is Anywhere Is Anything Is Everything'' (2015)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://coupland.com/everywhere-is-anywhere-is-anything-is-everything-mocca/|title = Everywhere is Anywhere is Anything is Everything &#124; MoCCA|date = 4 January 2020}}</ref>
* ''MashUp: The Birth of Modern Culture'' (2016)
* ''[[Picasso]]: The Artist and His Muses'' (2016)
* ''[[Claude Monet]]’s Secret Garden'' (2017)<ref>{{cite web|title=Secret Garden brings Monet's life to Vancouver Art Gallery|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/secret-garden-claude-monet-vancouver-art-gallery-1.4175404|website=CBC News|access-date=July 12, 2017|language=en|date=June 23, 2017}}</ref>
* ''[[Takashi Murakami]]: The Octopus Eats its Own Leg'' (2018)
* ''French Moderns: Monet to [[Matisse]], 1850-1950'' (2019)
* ''[[Alberto Giacometti]]: A Line Through Time'' (2019) <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/exhibitions/alberto-giacometti-a-line-through-time|title = Alberto Giacometti: A Line Through Time}}</ref>
* ''[[Cindy Sherman]]'' (2020)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/exhibitions/cindy-sherman|title=Cindy Sherman}}</ref>
* ''[[Jan Wade (artist)|Jan Wade]]: Soul Power'' (2021–22)<ref>{{cite web |title=Jan Wade: Soul Power |url=https://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/exhibitions/jan-wade-soul-power |website=www.vanartgallery.bc.ca |access-date=25 February 2023}}</ref>
* ''Growing Freedom: The instructions of [[Yoko Ono]] / The art of [[John Lennon|John]] and Yoko'' (2022)<ref>{{cite web | title=Major exhibition of Yoko Ono's works opening at Vancouver Art Gallery | website=CBC | date=26 May 2014 | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ono-vag-show-1.6204857 | access-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>
* ''Conceptions of White'' (2023)<ref>{{cite web | title=VAG's Conceptions of White takes an uncompromising swing at a world that seriously needs to change | website=Georgia Straight| date=7 September 2023 | url=https://www.straight.com/arts/vags-conceptions-of-white-takes-an-uncompromising-swing-at-a-world-that-seriously-needs-to | access-date=19 January 2024}}</ref>
* ''[[J. E. H. MacDonald]]? A Tangled Garden'' (2023–24)<ref name=CBC2023/> 
* ''[[Denyse Thomasos]]: just beyond'' (2023-2024) <ref> {{cite web |url =https://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/exhibitions/denysethomasos |title =Denyse Thomasos: Just beyond }}</ref>
* ''[[Firelei Báez]] (2024-2025)'' <ref> {{cite web |url=https://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/exhibitions/firelei-baez |title=Firelei Báez }}</ref>
{{col div end}}

==Building==
[[File:Vancouver Art Gallery Void stairs 201807.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Void stairs inside the building. Completed in 1906, the building was later designated as a [[National Historic Sites of Canada|National Historic Site]] in 1980.]]
The art museum is in the former provincial courthouse for Vancouver. The {{convert|165000|sqft|order=flip|adj=mid}} [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]] building was designed by [[Francis Rattenbury]] after winning a design competition in 1905. The building was opened as a provincial courthouse in 1911, and operated as such until 1979, with the provincial courts moved to the [[Law Courts (Vancouver)|Law Courts]] south of the building.<ref name=build>{{cite web|url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7439|access-date=11 June 2019|year=2019|publisher=Parks Canada|work=Canada's Historic Places|title=Former Vancouver Law Courts National Historic Site of Canada}}</ref> The building was designated the Former Vancouver Law Courts [[National Historic Sites of Canada|National Historic Site of Canada]] in 1980.<ref name=build/> Both the main and annex portions of the building are also designated [[List of heritage buildings in Vancouver|"A" heritage structures]] by the municipal government. The Vancouver Art Gallery moved into the former courthouse in 1983.<ref name=build/>

The Centennial Fountain on the Georgia Street side of the building was installed in 1966 to commemorate the centennial of the [[Colony of British Columbia (1866-1871)|union]] of the colonies of [[Colony of Vancouver Island|Vancouver Island]] and [[Colony of British Columbia (1858-1866)|British Columbia]]; although it was later removed in 2017 as part of the Georgia Street plaza renovations. Shortly after the provincial courts moved out of the building, the building was renovated for museum use, and as a part of Arthur Erickson's redevelopment of Robson Square.<ref name=histoff/> The Annex Building is the only part of the building complex that was not converted for museum use.

The design of the building includes [[ionic columns]], a central [[dome]], formal [[portico]]s, and ornate stonework. The building was constructed using [[marble]] imported from [[Alaska]], [[Tennessee]], and [[Vermont]]. Construction for the building began in 1906 and replaced the previous courthouse at [[Victory Square, Vancouver|Victory Square]]. At the time, the building contained 18 courtrooms. An annex designed by Thomas Hooper was added to the western side of the building in 1912. It was declared a [[cultural heritage|heritage]] site and retains the original judges' benches and walls as they were when the building was a courthouse.

A notable feature of the building is a pair of granite lions, placed on either side of the old entrance to the courthouse. They were carved from granite chunks brought from [[Nelson Island (British Columbia)|Nelson Island]] and placed in their current location in 1910. On November 4, 1942, two dynamite blasts damages the rear end of the western lion. The blasts also shattered the windows of surrounding hotels and cause some people to believe the city was under air attack. Two stonecutters who had worked on the original carvings and who were still working, John Whitworth and Herbert Ede, were hired to carve and fit new hindquarters; the join line is still visible. The culprits were never found.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fairley |first=Jim |title=The way we were : the story of the old Vancouver courthouse |date=1986 |publisher=J. Fairley |isbn=0-9692285-0-3 |location=North Vancouver, B.C. |pages=26–27 |oclc=16646503}}</ref>

===Gathering place===
The front lawn and steps of the building has hosted a number of public gatherings and protests. The building serves as the monthly meeting spot for Vancouver's [[Critical Mass (cycling)|Critical Mass]], as well as [[flash mob]]s, the [[Zombie Walk]], pro-[[marijuana]] rallies, and numerous environmental demonstrations. The steps on both the [[Robson Street]] and Georgia Street sides of the building are popular gathering spots for [[protest]] rallies. The Georgia Street side is also a popular place in the summertime for people to relax or socialize.

In February 12, 2007, the 2010 Olympic countdown clock was placed in the front lawn of the building. It was open for free for the public to see. The clock has since been disassembled after the games, with one half going to [[BC Place]] and the other to [[Whistler Village]].

In June 2021, Cheryle Gunargie created a vigil in honour of the unmarked remains of children discovered at the [[Kamloops Indian Residential School]]. The vigil consists of 215 pairs of shoes, one for each of the children whose remains were discovered.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/what-should-happen-to-kamloops-shoe-memorial-at-vancouver-art-gallery/|title = What should happen to Kamloops shoe memorial at Vancouver Art Gallery?|date = 12 June 2021}}</ref>

==Permanent collection==
[[File:Vancouver Art Gallery Level 4 2018.jpg|thumb|Works from the permanent collection exhibited in the museum]]
As of December 2018, the Vancouver Art Gallery's permanent collection had approximately 12,000 works by Canadian, and international artists.<ref name=coll>{{cite web|url=http://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/the-collection|title=The Collection|publisher=Vancouver Art Gallery|website=vanartgallery.bc.ca|access-date=26 October 2019|year=2019}}</ref><ref name=report>{{cite web|url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/421/FINA/Brief/BR8398615/br-external/Vancouver%20Art%20Gallery-e.pdf|title=A 2017 pre-budget submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance: The Transformation of the Vancouver Art Gallery|year=2017|access-date=27 November 2019|publisher=Vancouver Art Gallery|page=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouver-art-gallery-celebrates-record-year-for-attendance|title=Vancouver Art Gallery celebrates record year ford attendance|work=Vancouver Sun|publisher=Postmedia Network Inc|date=8 November 2018|access-date=27 November 2019}}</ref> The museum's permanent collection is formally owned by the City of Vancouver, with the museum acting as the custodians for the collection under a lease and license agreement.<ref name=council/> The permanent collection acts as the principal repository of works produced in the [[Lower Mainland]] region, with museum acquisitions typically focused on historical and contemporary art from the region.<ref name=report/> Approximately half of the works in its collection were produced by artists from [[Western Canada]].<ref name=report/> In addition to art from the region, the collection also has a focus on [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] art, and art from Asia.<ref name=report/> The museum's collection is organized into several smaller areas, contemporary art from Asia, photography and conceptual photography, works by indigenous Canadian artists from the region, and artists from Vancouver and [[British Columbia]].<ref name=coll/>

The museum's photography and conceptual art collection includes photographs from the 1950s to the present,<ref name=gandm/> and includes photos by the [[N.E. Thing Co.]] [[artist collective]], photographers of the [[Vancouver School]] of conceptual photography, and other artists including [[Dan Graham]], [[Andreas Gursky]], [[Thomas Ruff]], [[Cindy Sherman]], [[Robert Smithson]], and [[Thomas Struth]].<ref name=coll/> The museum's collection of contemporary Asian art includes works by [[Eikoh Hosoe]], [[Mariko Mori]], [[Fiona Tan]], [[Jin-me Yoon]], [[Reena Saini Kallat]], [[Song Dong]], [[Wang Du (artist)|Wang Du]], [[Wang Jianwei]], [[Yang Fudong]], and [[O Zhang]].<ref name=coll/>

===Canadian art===
[[File:Untitled (Self-Portrait) by Emily Carr, 1924-1925.jpg|thumb|''Untitled (Self-Portrait)'' by [[Emily Carr]], {{circa|1924–25}}. The collection has a number of works by Carr.]]
Serving as a repository for art for the region,<ref name=report/> the museum holds a number of works by artists based in the Lower Mainland, in addition to artists based in other regions of British Columbia. 

The museum's collection includes works from Canadian artists, including members of the [[Group of Seven (artists)|Group of Seven]], [[Gathie Falk]], [[Michael Snow]], and [[Joyce Wieland]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/ian-thom-curates-final-exhibition-after-30-years-at-the-vancouver-art-gallery|work=Vancouver Sun|publisher=Postmedia Network Inc|last=Griffin|first=Kevin|date=26 September 2018|title=Ian Thom curates final exhibition after 30 years at the Vancouver Art Gallery|access-date=27 November 2019}}</ref> The museum's collection also features a significant number of works by [[Emily Carr]], dating from 1913 to 1942.<ref name=gandm>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/art-and-architecture/vancouver-art-gallery-exhibit-shows-a-more-contemporary-picture-of-life-inbc/article35181264/|title=Emily Carr, sure, but something new too|work=The Globe and Mail|publisher=The Woodbridge Company|last=Lederman|first=Marsha|date=1 June 2017}}</ref> The painting ''Totem Poles, Kitseukla'', by Carr, was among the original set of works acquired for the museum's collection prior to opening in 1931.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/canada-150-vancouver-art-gallerys-five-b-c-art-works-for-nations-birthday|title=Canada 150: Vancouver Art Gallery's five B.C. art works for nation's birthday|date=23 June 2017|last=Griffin|first=Kevin|access-date=27 November 2019|work=Vancouver Sun|publisher=Postmedia Network Inc}}</ref> As of 2023, the museum has over 250 works by Carr.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.straight.com/arts/love-emily-carrs-art-head-to-vancouver-art-gallery-immediately|title=Love Emily Carr's art? Head to the Vancouver Art Gallery immediately|date=29 September 2023|access-date=3 October 2023|last=Harowitz|first=Sara|publisher=Vancouver Free Press|website=www.straight.com}}</ref> The permanent collections of the Vancouver Art Gallery, along with the collections of the [[National Gallery of Canada]], hold the largest number of works by Carr of any collection in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aci-iac.ca/art-books/emily-carr/where-to-see|title=Where to See Emily Carr|publisher=Art Canada Institute|work=aci-iac.ca|access-date=27 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/fun-and-meaningful-ways-to-celebrate-international-womens-day-across-canada/article38236400/|title=Fun and meaningful ways to celebrate International Women's Day across Canada|first=Lucas|last=Aykroyd|date=7 March 2018|access-date=27 November 2019|work=The Globe and Mail|publisher=The Woodbridge Company}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ski/independence/art-and-culture-in-whistler/|title=Beyond the slopes: art and culture in Whistler|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=3 July 2017|access-date=27 November 2019|publisher=Telegraph Media Group}}</ref>

The museum's also features a collection of indigenous Canadian art from the region, including works from [[Haida people|Haida]], [[Heiltsuk]], [[Inuit]], [[Kwakwakaʼwakw]], [[Nuu-chah-nulth]], [[Nuxalk]], and [[Tlingit]] artists.<ref name=fncol>{{cite web|url=http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/donation+transforms+first+nations+collection/11438594/story.html|title=Donation transforms First Nations art collection at VAG|last=Morton|first=Brian|date=15 October 2015|access-date=27 November 2019|publisher=Postmedia Network Inc|work=Vancouver Sun}}</ref> Regular acquisitions of indigenous Canadian works was undertaken by the museum beginning in the 1980s; with the museum's practices prior to the 1980s typically leaving the acquisition of indigenous Canadian works for the collections of ethnographic, or history museums.<ref name=fnrep>{{cite journal|title=The representation of First Nations art at the Art Gallery of Ontario|year=2012|first=Naohiro|last=Nakamura|journal=International Journal of Canadian Studies |volume=45–46|issue=45–46|page=420|doi=10.7202/1009913ar|doi-access=free}}</ref> In 2015, [[George Gund III]] bequeathed to the museum 37 First Nations works, including totem poles by Ken Mowatt and [[Norman Tait]], drawings by [[Bill Reid]], and thirteen carved works by [[Robert Davidson (artist)|Robert Davidson]].<ref name=fncol/> Other works in the museum's indigenous Canadian collection includes works by [[Sonny Assu]], [[Rebecca Belmore]], [[Dempsey Bob]], [[Dana Claxton]], [[Joe David]], [[Reg Davidson]], [[Beau Dick]], [[Brian Jungen]], [[Marianne Nicolson]], and [[Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun]].<ref name=coll/>

===Selected works===
<gallery>
File:Roelof de Vries, Landscape with Stream and Windmill, unknown date, oil on panel, Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery.jpg|[[Roelof de Vries]], ''Landscape with Stream and Windmill'', unknown date.
File:Charles Bridgeman.jpg|[[William Hogarth]], ''Portrait of Mr. Bridgeman'', {{circa|1725–1730}}
File:Captive - Vancouver.jpg|[[Joseph Wright of Derby]], ''[[The Captive (painting)|The Captive from Sterne]]'', 1774
File:Johann Heinrich Füssli 002.jpg|[[Henry Fuseli]], ''Dream of Belinda'', {{circa|1780–1790}}
File:Cox - In the Hayfield.jpg|[[David Cox (artist)|David Cox]], ''In the Hayfield'', 1850
File:Path among Pines by Emily Carr, c. 1930.jpg|[[Emily Carr]], ''Path among Pines'', {{circa|1930}}
File:Above the Gravel Pit by Emily Carr, 1937, oil on canvas.jpg|Emily Carr, ''Above the Gravel Pitt'', 1937
</gallery>

==Library and archive==
The Vancouver Art Gallery Library and Archives is a non-circulating library that specializing in modern, contemporary and Canadian art.<ref name=libarc>{{cite web|url=http://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/library-and-archives|title=Library and Archives|publisher=Vancouver Art Gallery|website=vanartgallery.bc.ca|year=2019|access-date=27 November 2019}}</ref> Its holdings include more than 50,000 books and exhibition catalogues, 30 journal subscriptions, 5,000 files that document various artists, art forms, and works.<ref name=libarc/> Access to the museum's library and archives require a scheduled appointment.<ref name=libarc/>

The museum's archives contain the institution's official records since its founding in 1931.<ref name=libarc/> In addition to institutional documents, the archives also includes files from [[B.C. Binning]],<ref name=libarc/> and the books and serials where Bill Bissett's concrete poetry was published.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}

== Programs ==
The Vancouver Art Gallery offers a wide range of public programs throughout the year, including live performances marketed under the FUSE program, scholar's lectures, artist's talks, as well as dance and musical performances. In its most recent year, the gallery has featured over 60 presenters, including historian [[Timothy Brook]], writer Sarah Milroy, and Emily Carr scholar, Gerta Moray. In May 2015, the gallery welcomed architect [[Herzog & de Meuron|Jacques Herzog]] as he presented his first lecture in Canada on architecture and the new Vancouver Art Gallery building.

==See also==
* [[List of art museums]]
* [[List of museums in British Columbia]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Vancouver Art Gallery}}
* {{Official website|https://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/}}
* [https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/vancouver-art-gallery Vancouver Art Gallery at Google Arts and Culture]

{{Vancouver landmarks}}
{{NHSC}}
{{British Columbia parks}}

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[[Category:Art museums and galleries in British Columbia]]
[[Category:Museums in Vancouver]]
[[Category:National Historic Sites in British Columbia]]
[[Category:Francis Rattenbury buildings]]
[[Category:Courthouses in Canada]]
[[Category:Neoclassical architecture in Canada]]
[[Category:Art museums and galleries established in 1931]]
[[Category:1931 establishments in British Columbia]]
[[Category:Heritage buildings in Vancouver]]