Really want to get to know an art gallery on a more intimate level? Walking through its permanent collection is one of the best ways to do it, and that’s exactly what the recently opened Highlights from the Collection at the Vancouver Art Gallery accomplishes.
With close to 100 years of accumulated work across all media, you can get a sense of the gallery’s story, not just as an institution whose perspectives and scope shift and evolve, but also of the curators who contribute to the catalogue over the last ten decades.
From historical paintings to contemporary installations, over 200 pieces are presented together in distinct segments that complement each other, whether visually or culturally, offering an added perspective on the art of curation in each grouping.
This concept is further extended to a meta-level, with the groupings arranged in the structured settings of a traditional salon-style exhibition, a modernist home, an experimental artist-run studio, and a twenty-first-century museum. It’s a wonderful way to emphasize the context that can be added to a piece’s story beyond the artist’s statement.
And just like how the story of a gallery evolves over time, so too will this exhibition. Continuing until 2030, new selections from the 13,000 VAG collection pieces will be rotated in to help preserve the more light-sensitive work, also providing ongoing insight into where the collection has been and where it might lead next.
Highlights From The Collection runs from April 1, 2026, to January 6, 2030
For more information, visit vanartgallery.bc.ca
