AGO Receives Acclaimed Canadian Contemporary Sculpture
Date Posted: August, 20, 2007
The Art Gallery of Ontario will be home to David Altmejd’s The Index, one of the country’s major pieces of contemporary sculpture, thanks to a generous gift from George Hartman and Arlene Goldman. The Index was the star attraction of the Canadian Pavilion at this year’s prestigious Venice Biennale.
An intricate work, The Index features a number of connected wood and steel structures filled with flocks of stuffed birds and squirrels as well as half-human, half-bird bodies throughout. Filling an entire room, the installation is surrounded by mirrors to make the viewer a part of the experience. The work is currently on display in Venice, but will featured in the new contemporary galleries in the transformed AGO, when the Gallery reopens in 2008.
"The scale and complexity of The Index is unlike any other work in the AGO's collection," says David Moos, curator of contemporary art at the AGO. “In creating an art environment that incorporates the viewer, this work is indicative of a significant new direction in contemporary art and an important addition to our permanent collection.”
“We are donating the Altmejd piece because we believe it is a major work by a Canadian who is already recognized internationally as one of the most exciting young artists," says George Hartman.
"We wanted to lend a hand in positioning the AGO at the highest level of leadership on the world stage in contemporary art," says Arlene Goldman.
The youngest artist to ever represent Canada at the Venice Biennale, Altmejd is one of the country’s rising art stars. He has shown around the world and is represented in the collections of many prominent museums including the Guggenheim Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Born in Montreal in 1974, Altmejd has degrees in visual art from the Universite du Quebec a Montreal and Columbia University. He currently lives and works in New York and London.
“We are deeply gratified that George Hartman and Arlene Goldman have chosen the AGO to be home to The Index,” says Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO’s director and CEO. “Through their generosity, visitors to the AGO in 2008 will experience an engaging and inspiring new addition to our contemporary collection.”
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The Art Gallery of Ontario is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Culture. Additional operating support is received from the Volunteers of the AGO, the City of Toronto,the Department of Canadian Heritage and The Canada Council for the Arts.