Montreal and Toronto for Art Lovers
 

Hello,
I will be visting Montreal and Toronto soon. I would love to know about galleries for emerging artists, places to buy "affordable art" and best spots for viewing art. Thank you.

Apart from the AGO (the art gallery of Ontario) here in TO, your best bet is to head for Yorkville for some intensive gallery hopping for both established and 'new' artists. Then, for a more avant garde experience, head out to Queen St. West (west of Spadina) and browse the galleries there.

Can't help you with Montreal, but there will be others that can.

FYI the AGO is basically closed until renovations/additions are completed current estimate mid Nov '08

AndrewDavid

AD is quite correct about the AGO...it is so long since they started I just assumed they must be finished by now!

BTW, when you get here, pick up a copy of the Globe and Mail to see what is on at the galleries. While they do offer some info online, it is not as complete as the Saturday G&M entertainment section.

You might be interested in the Museum of Contemporary Art (http://www.mocca.toronto.on.ca/) and the surrounding stretch of West Queen West (north side). The area is in the process of converting and there are lots of small galleries, including the Ontario Crafts Council gallery, interspersed with old and new stores and restaurants.

Start a little west of here and walk east stopping into the galleries. You'll find a few nice places for lunch and there are two rather 'artsy' hotels, the Gladstone and the Drake, which have nice bars and restaurants.

The neighbourhood looks shabby but it's very safe and quite interesting. Keep walking till you get to University and you'll see how Queen Street changes over that distance.

Hi saundra,

There are some great galleries in Old Montreal if you are just strolling along St. Paul and Notre-Dame streets you will come across many. Also in Old Mtl many artists set up on the street and sell paintings, many of which are beautiful and affordable. There are also some nice ones on Sherbrooke St W. near the Museum of Fine Arts (close to Bishop St. Crescent St. etc.) Montreal is a fantastic art city and has something for everyone regardless of taste and budget.

Enjoy!

Layla %%-

There are also some galleries along Queen Street East (from about Broadview over to Leslie) in Toronto. It's an area called Leslieville, which is undergoing some regentrification. (Those of us who live in the neighbourhood are happy about that!) There's also several mid-century modern furniture stores and lots of restaurants.