Where art connects us all
Welcome to Virtual NGC – In these uncertain times, we are delighted to provide you with a virtual experience, where we can all connect with the restorative and enriching power of art.
From curator’s choice and virtual gallery features to thought-provoking articles and downloadable resources. We invite you to tour and explore.
Collection Highlights
Get to know some of the significant works in Canada’s national art collection featured in this new video series, as curators share their knowledge with us.
Learn about Barnett Newman’s Voice of Fire with Anabelle Kienle Ponka, Associate Curator of European and American Art.
Find out more about Tom Thomson’s iconic work, The Jack Pine, with Christopher Davidson, Curatorial Assistant of Canadian Art.
Listen to Senior Curator of Contemporary Art Josée Drouin-Brisebois as she talks about Janet Cardiff's brilliant sound sculpture Forty-Part Motet.
Delve into Gustav Klimt’s fascinating Hope I with Anabelle Kienle Ponka, Associate Curator of European and American Art.
Explore Lucius R. O'Brien’s Sunrise on the Saguenay, Cape Trinity with Christopher Davidson, Curatorial Assistant of Canadian Art.
Watch Associate Curator of Indigenous Art Christine Lalonde as she talks about Annie Pootoogook’s Cape Dorset Freezer.
Experience the Tradition
of the Salon
One of the highlights of the Canadian and Indigenous Galleries is its salon-style wall, featuring a floor-to-ceiling selection of 23 works from the 19th and 20th centuries. Don’t miss this unforgettable feature, brought to you here virtually.
Curator’s Choice
National Gallery of Canada curators share some of their favourite works from the national art collection with us, as well as what the works mean to them.
Viewing Room
Take a closer look at a selection of historical photography from the collection of the National Gallery of Canada. Use the zoom feature to explore details not easily seen by the naked eye, and activate hotspots.
Earthly Delights
Take a walk on the botanical wild side, as you explore masterworks in the Gallery’s European and Canadian collections with an award-winning gardener and art historian.
A Time of Radical Change
Explore the Gallery's collection of French painting and sculpture from around 1800.
From the Archives
Vincent Van Gogh
Iris, 1890
Vincent Van Gogh painted Iris during a self-imposed stay at the Saint-Rémy asylum in 1890. How could he create such a joyful work under such trying circumstances? Find the answer in this video. Download the printable PDF colouring page.
100 Years of the
Group of Seven
Franklin Carmichael
Lawren S. Harris
A.Y. Jackson
Franz Johnston
Arthur Lismer
J.E.H. MacDonald
F.H. Varley
From North Shore, Lake Superior by Lawren S. Harris to Terre Sauvage by A.Y. Jackson, works by the Group of Seven have come to symbolize Canada. Inspired by the Canadian wilderness, they turned rugged landscapes into places of mystery and solitude, and launched a new art movement in the process.
May 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the Group of Seven’s first exhibition, making this an ideal time to reacquaint yourself with some of Canada’s most iconic works of art. Get to know the original members of the Group and their respective work, and watch for a new Canada Post stamp series, featuring two works from the Gallery collection: Stormy Weather, Georgian Bay by F.H. Varley and Fire-swept, Algoma by Franz Johnston.
We had commenced our great adventure. We lived in a continuous blaze of enthusiasm. We were at times very serious and concerned, at other times hilarious and carefree. Above all we loved this country and loved exploring and painting it. – Lawren Harris, 1948
Saturday Spotlight Tours
Explore the national art collection as our experts take you inside the Gallery for virtual theme-based tours.
Experience Àbadakone Online!
A resounding success from the day it opened in November 2019, this overview of contemporary Indigenous art can now be experienced online. Explore the exhibition and its artists through features that include a virtual gallery, highlight videos and more.
Connecting Through Art
Free technology training and support for older adults. Everyone should feel empowered to use technology and to stay connected to the Gallery online. The National Gallery of Canada has partnered with Connected Canadians on a new initiative to connect seniors with digital support to feel comfortable with technology and art. Sign up yourself or share the news with a loved one in need of some guidance.
Photostories Canada
Travel through fascinating moments in Canadian history. Explore more than 800 photostories, created between 1955 and 1971 by the National Film Board of Canada’s Still Photography Division. Search this virtual exhibition by year, location, photographer or subject, and let your curiosity guide you from one story to another. In addition, don’t forget to create your own photostory, using the website’s app.
Unknown, Out on the sea ice of the high arctic a National Film Board crew set up their camera near a towering iceberg, during shooting of Land of the Long Day, Photostory #378: National Film Board Records 25 Years of National Growth: Presenting Canada to the World, National Film Board of Canada, date unknown (release date: December 1, 1964), black and white negative. CMCP Fonds, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, LAC-NFB63322
Get Creative
Keep your creative juices flowing through an evolving array of fun art-making activities, downloadable resources, and more.
Bring a little bit of the Gallery into your home.
Download these colouring pages of masterpieces from the national art collection.
Need fresh ideas for creative family fun?
Check out the projects below, all made with simple materials you already have on hand.
Fantastic creatures come to life! Carve your own stamps of animals you know and love, or make up new imaginary beasts.
Create your own paper puppets! These collaged stick puppets are inspired by the 23,595 paper cutouts in Leaves of Grass (2012) by Canadian artist Geoffrey Farmer.
Let’s get marbling! Try this fun way of making marbled paper, as you learn about mixing colours.
Channel your inner A.Y. Jackson or Rembrandt through this special selection of art lessons.
Grab your camera and join us as we adapt lessons learned from the Group of Seven's paintings to help you see your world through a new lens.
Revisit Our Exhibitions
From our popular exhibition of international indigenous contemporary art Àbadakone | Continuous Fire | Feu continuel to the Impressionist treasures of the Ordrupgaard Collection and the splendour of Laurent Amiot’s silver masterpieces, explore our extensive selection of past and present exhibition-related videos on the Gallery’s YouTube channel.
