November 15 – December 28, 2008
This documentary-style exhibition situates the Art Metropole Collection historically, tracing its beginnings as a loosely-based agency of Toronto-based artists in the early 1970s, as it evolved into a unique artist-run centre, Art Metropole, collecting and distributing alternative artworks that by-passed the traditional art gallery system. The Top 100 features an impressive collection of artists – with Toronto’s General Idea front and centre – that represent the multiple histories and narratives of an extremely active period of national and international art production, from the 70s and 80s to the present. The exhibition includes art and artifacts by David Askevold, John Baldessari, Stan Douglas, Marcel Duchamp, Dan Graham, Guerrilla Girls, Agnes Martin, Yoko Ono, Michael Snow, Derek Sullivan and Lawrence Weiner, to name a few.
The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art presents Art Metropole: The Top 100 within the historical context and spirit of evolution of Toronto’s downtown, Queen Street West-oriented, hotbed of cultural activity, shifting west as it has to currently include the neighbourhood surrounding MOCCA. The so-called West Queen West Art + Design District of today is one of the most artistically active neighbourhoods in Canada and it is important to note the activities and histories that are the foundations of the burgeoning contemporary scene. Art Metropole has and continues to be an integral contributor to this ferment of Canadian cultural production.
Curated by Kitty Scott and Jonathan Shaughnessy
Organized by the National Gallery of Canada
The exhibition is accompanied by a fully-illustrated publication, English and French versions
Opening Reception
Saturday November 15, 8 – 10 pm
