Art & Architecture - The Globe and Mail

As World Cup nears, playful art shows in Toronto consider winning and losing

Two cultural institutions are mounting exhibitions that speak to the sporting moment

Glorious Bones by Esmaa Mohamoud (b. 1992), 2019. Repurposed football helmets, wax print fabrics, steel, and recycled tires.

Glorious Bones by Esmaa Mohamoud (b. 1992), 2019. Repurposed football helmets, wax print fabrics, steel, and recycled tires.

5 min read

June 5, 2026

Glorious Bones by Esmaa Mohamoud (b. 1992), 2019. Repurposed football helmets, wax print fabrics, steel, and recycled tires.

Glorious Bones by Esmaa Mohamoud (b. 1992), 2019. Repurposed football helmets, wax print fabrics, steel, and recycled tires.

As World Cup nears, playful art shows in Toronto consider winning and losing

5 min read

June 5, 2026

Five visual arts exhibits to catch this summer

3 min read

June 4, 2026

People hold a flag in the colours of the Ukrainian national flag as demonstrators from Pussy Riot group attend a protest at Venice Biennale's International Art Exhibition, in Venice, Italy, May 7, 2026. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri

People hold a flag in the colours of the Ukrainian national flag as demonstrators from Pussy Riot group attend a protest at Venice Biennale's International Art Exhibition, in Venice, Italy, May 7, 2026. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri

Two Canadian artists add names to Venice Biennale letter protesting inclusion in awards ballot

3 min read

June 4, 2026

Still from Vera Frenkel's As If by Chance, mounted as an art installation at Koffler Arts in Toronto.

Still from Vera Frenkel's As If by Chance, mounted as an art installation at Koffler Arts in Toronto.

Vera Frenkel’s latest mischief-making is a gentle rebuke to ageism

4 min read

May 29, 2026

An exterior of the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), in Toronto, Tuesday, January 20, 2026. (Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail)

An exterior of the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), in Toronto, Tuesday, January 20, 2026. (Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail)

AGO trustee at centre of failed Nan Goldin acquisition saga leaves board

4 min read

May 29, 2026

Abbas Akhavan’s LOOP, 2023, (left) and Douglas Coupland’s painting Ellesmere, 2023, (right) appear as part of the Vancouver Art Gallery’s Future Geographies exhibition.

Abbas Akhavan’s LOOP, 2023, (left) and Douglas Coupland’s painting Ellesmere, 2023, (right) appear as part of the Vancouver Art Gallery’s Future Geographies exhibition.

review

At the Vancouver Art Gallery’s climate show, a tough assignment: no preaching allowed

4 min read

May 29, 2026

Eva Respini, The Vancouver Art Gallery's new curator and interim co-director is photograhed at the gallery against the backdrop of Brian Jungen's life size whale scuplture built from plastic patio chairs titled "Cetology, 2002. On the floor is is Liz Larner's "Meerschaum Drift (Blue)", exploring plastic in the ocean. Photographed on May 22, 2026

Eva Respini, The Vancouver Art Gallery's new curator and interim co-director is photograhed at the gallery against the backdrop of Brian Jungen's life size whale scuplture built from plastic patio chairs titled "Cetology, 2002. On the floor is is Liz Larner's "Meerschaum Drift (Blue)", exploring plastic in the ocean. Photographed on May 22, 2026

For the Vancouver Art Gallery’s Eva Respini, it’s all about the art. Period.

4 min read

May 26, 2026

finalists of Sobey Art Award

finalists of Sobey Art Award

Here are the six finalists shortlisted for the Sobey Art Award

1 min read

May 26, 2026

The miniature gallery (filled with tiny patrons) is just one-twelfth the size of the actual exhibition space.

The intricate miniatures are a gallery within the gallery: 80 original works are displayed, some of which echo larger pieces in the surrounding space.

review

Abstract illustrator Robert Pasternak blends genres and scale with surreal miniature exhibition in Winnipeg

4 min read

May 23, 2026

A painting by Group of Seven artist A. J. Casson is returned to storage at the National Gallery in Ottawa in 1950.

A painting by Group of Seven artist A. J. Casson is returned to storage at the National Gallery in Ottawa in 1950.

opinion

In galleries across Canada, too much art is being hidden away

Don LePan

4 min read

May 19, 2026

The Victoria & Albert Museum in East London. Toronto native Brendan Cormier curates the museum's new sites.

The Victoria & Albert Museum in East London. Toronto native Brendan Cormier curates the museum's new sites.

With Victoria & Albert Museum expansion, Brendan Cormier argues for creativity in all forms

6 min read

May 16, 2026

A military boot from the exhibit: Footwear from the Edge of the Roman Empire, shoes that have been discovered from archeological digs from Vindolanda, at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail)

A military boot from the exhibit: Footwear from the Edge of the Roman Empire, shoes that have been discovered from archeological digs from Vindolanda, at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail)

Ancient Roman footwear exhibition at Bata Shoe Museum offers a glimpse into Roman life

6 min read

May 15, 2026

In large-scale assemblages of found objects, Puerto Rican artist Daniel Lind-Ramos creates protective ancestor figures that arise from the land to observe the present.

Seaworld Venice, Florentina Holzinger’s ecological action-performance in the Austrian pavilion where a naked dancer swims in a tank fed by porta-potties that visitors are invited to use, at the Venice Biennale 2026.

analysis

At the Venice Biennale, a clash of politics and art exposes the need for a rethink

6 min read

May 15, 2026

In the India Pavilion, five artists address the idea of home.

In the India Pavilion, five artists address the idea of home.

Seven pavilions to catch at the Venice Biennale

4 min read

May 13, 2026

Photographer Nan Goldin arrives for the National Board of Review Awards Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City in January, 2023.

Photographer Nan Goldin arrives for the National Board of Review Awards Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City in January, 2023.

Nan Goldin encourages activism in art, urges young people to ‘be courageous’ at Vancouver event

3 min read

May 12, 2026

Artist Caroline Monnet repurposes building-yard materials as high art in pieces such as the plywood sculpture When It's Fall, I Rest (2021).

Artist Caroline Monnet repurposes building-yard materials as high art in pieces such as the plywood sculpture When It's Fall, I Rest (2021).

review

Ancient art meets the Home Depot in sculptor Caroline Monnet‘s work

3 min read

May 8, 2026

Abbas Akhavan: Entre chien et loup, 2026 at the Canada Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia, 2026.

Abbas Akhavan: Entre chien et loup, 2026 at the Canada Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia, 2026.

Abbas Akhavan’s Venice Biennale installation is evocative without ever letting you pin it down

4 min read

May 6, 2026

Pussy Riot and FEMEN activists protest against Russia's presence at the Venice Biennale in front of the Russian pavilion on Wednesday.

Pussy Riot and FEMEN activists protest against Russia's presence at the Venice Biennale in front of the Russian pavilion on Wednesday.

analysis

Can the Venice Biennale maintain its model in today’s political climate?

Kate Taylor

3 min read

May 6, 2026

Pussy Riot and FEMEN activists stage a protest in front of the Russian pavilion, at the 2026 Art Venice Biennale, Wednesday.

Pussy Riot and FEMEN activists stage a protest in front of the Russian pavilion, at the 2026 Art Venice Biennale, Wednesday.

Access to Russian pavilion at Venice Biennale briefly blocked by protest groups

2 min read

May 5, 2026

Artists perform 'The Tree Rooted in the Sky' at the Russian Pavilion during the preview of the Venice Art Biennale in Venice, Italy, Tuesday.

Artists perform 'The Tree Rooted in the Sky' at the Russian Pavilion during the preview of the Venice Art Biennale in Venice, Italy, Tuesday.

Russian return to Venice Biennale sparks backlash ahead of opening

3 min read

May 1, 2026

The Shokkan exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum considers how the Japanese idea of touch includes emotions and memories.

The Shokkan exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum considers how the Japanese idea of touch includes emotions and memories.

review

Shokkan at the ROM considers the sense of touch in Japanese art

3 min read

April 17, 2026

Iranians gather around a bonfire amid anti-government protests as they chant “You’re the pervert. You’re the whore. I’m a free woman” on the streets in Iran in 2022. The chant, which became widespread during the 2022 uprising and beyond, is a declaration of defiance and liberation against the state’s enforcement of strict dress codes and its policing of women’s bodies. Photo by Parisa Azadi. Video Source: Vahid Online

Iranians gather around a bonfire amid anti-government protests as they chant “You’re the pervert. You’re the whore. I’m a free woman” on the streets in Iran in 2022. The chant, which became widespread during the 2022 uprising and beyond, is a declaration of defiance and liberation against the state’s enforcement of strict dress codes and its policing of women’s bodies. Photo by Parisa Azadi. Video Source: Vahid Online

With literal flames, photographer reframes pictures of Iran’s protests

5 min read

April 17, 2026

Lisa Morrisseau, daughter of famous Anishinaabe painter Norval Morrisseau, at her home in Keewaywin First Nation with her brother’s paintings on the wall. In the same Woodland art style their father made famous, Eugene’s depicts their parents and Christian’s is on the right. Keewaywin is a remote Oji-Cree fly-in reserve about 580 km flight northwest of Thunder Bay, Ont. Ms. Morrisseau says she’s made less than a thousand dollars from her father’s art. The second youngest of Norval Morrisseau’s seven children said she was not aware of the $100-million art fraud involving her father’s work until she watched a documentary about the case.
February 8, 2026
(Melissa Tait/The Globe and Mail)

Lisa Morrisseau, daughter of famous Anishinaabe painter Norval Morrisseau, at her home in Keewaywin First Nation with her brother’s paintings on the wall. In the same Woodland art style their father made famous, Eugene’s depicts their parents and Christian’s is on the right. Keewaywin is a remote Oji-Cree fly-in reserve about 580 km flight northwest of Thunder Bay, Ont. Ms. Morrisseau says she’s made less than a thousand dollars from her father’s art. The second youngest of Norval Morrisseau’s seven children said she was not aware of the $100-million art fraud involving her father’s work until she watched a documentary about the case.
February 8, 2026
(Melissa Tait/The Globe and Mail)

After the largest art fraud in history, the Morrisseau family is picking up the pieces

13 min read

April 14, 2026

Peri Cochin, co-founder of the "1 Picasso for 100 euros" lottery, poses next to Head of a Woman by Pablo Picasso, painted in 1941, in Paris, Friday, April 10, 2026, where the draw will be handled by auction house Christie's next week. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Peri Cochin, co-founder of the "1 Picasso for 100 euros" lottery, poses next to Head of a Woman by Pablo Picasso, painted in 1941, in Paris, Friday, April 10, 2026, where the draw will be handled by auction house Christie's next week. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Raffle winner scoops a $1-million Picasso with a $117 ticket

2 min read

April 9, 2026

An oil painting of Prince Rupert painted by Sir Peter Lely hangs on the wall of Heffel Gallery in Toronto, on Wednesday April 8 2026.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

An oil painting of Prince Rupert painted by Sir Peter Lely hangs on the wall of Heffel Gallery in Toronto, on Wednesday April 8 2026.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

How a Canadian auction house unravelled a Hudson’s Bay art collection mystery

5 min read

April 9, 2026

Burial boxes begin the journey from the Skidegate Community Hall to the cemetery in Skidegate, Haida Gwaii, B.C. during a Repatriation ceremony on Jan 18, 2026 (Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail)

Burial boxes begin the journey from the Skidegate Community Hall to the cemetery in Skidegate, Haida Gwaii, B.C. during a Repatriation ceremony on Jan 18, 2026 (Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail)

Indigenous repatriation is under way – but gaps remain in measuring progress

13 min read

April 2, 2026

Former Sino-Soviet Friendship Building, Shanghai (1955), Still from Intensity in Ten Cities (2025), a film by Wang Tuo commissioned by the CCA and M+, Hong Kong, 2025. CCA Collection © Wang Tuo

Former Sino-Soviet Friendship Building, Shanghai (1955), Still from Intensity in Ten Cities (2025), a film by Wang Tuo commissioned by the CCA and M+, Hong Kong, 2025. CCA Collection © Wang Tuo

The CCA unpacks Chinese architecture’s secret history and Toronto’s shift to digital technology

Alex Bozikovic

4 min read

March 30, 2026

'Cup and Plate of Cherries' by Paul Cézanne.

'Cup and Plate of Cherries' by Paul Cézanne.

Thieves steal paintings by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse in Italian museum heist

2 min read

March 25, 2026

Anne Pasternak speaks onstage during the 2024 Brooklyn Artists Ball at Brooklyn Museum on April 9, 2024.

Anne Pasternak speaks onstage during the 2024 Brooklyn Artists Ball at Brooklyn Museum on April 9, 2024.

At the museum, women directors face the glass cliff

Kate Taylor

4 min read

March 21, 2026

Mar 19, 2026 - Curator, Jasper Mulherin, standing in front of a series of paintings by Vanessa McKernan. It is part of an inaugural group show at Bus Gallery. Photographed at Bus Gallery in Toronto, ON.

Mar 19, 2026 - Curator, Jasper Mulherin, standing in front of a series of paintings by Vanessa McKernan. It is part of an inaugural group show at Bus Gallery. Photographed at Bus Gallery in Toronto, ON.

A new Bus Gallery honours the legacy of the late Katharine Mulherin

4 min read

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