Abstract art has been a part of the RMG’s Permanent Collection story from its foundation. The collection was founded in 1967 with an initial donation of 37 works by Alexandra Luke. The artworks included in this gift shaped the RMG’s early focus on the abstract collective Painters Eleven and contemporary Canadian art and laid the groundwork for one of Canada’s most significant collections of abstract art.
This exhibition presents contemporary abstraction acquired over the past five years that demonstrate our continued commitment to telling the ongoing history of abstraction in Canada. These acquisitions broaden that history by embracing a wider range of voices and perspectives, demonstrating how abstraction is an evolving and dynamic genre of art.