Skip to main content
National Gallery of Canada
  • Visit
    • Everything you need to plan your visit and make the most of your time at the Gallery.

      • Hours
      • Admission
      • Location and Parking
      • Visit the Gallery Safely
      • Dining, Shopping and Amenities
      • Groups
      • Schools
      • Hotel Packages
      • Accessibility
      • Floorplan
    • Hours
    • Admission
    • Location and Parking
    • Visit the Gallery Safely
    • Dining, Shopping and Amenities
    • Groups
    • Schools
    • Hotel Packages
    • Accessibility
    • Floorplan
  • What's on
    • Find out what you can see and do at the Gallery in Ottawa, what’s new online, and where the collection is on view worldwide.

      • Exhibitions and Galleries
      • Talks, Tours and Events
      • Calendar
      • Around the World
      • Sobey Art Award
      • Virtual NGC
    • Exhibitions and Galleries
    • Talks, Tours and Events
    • Calendar
    • Around the World
    • Sobey Art Award
    • Virtual NGC
  • Learn
      • For Kids and Families
      • For Adults
      • For Teachers
      • Accessible Programs
    • For Kids and Families
    • For Adults
    • For Teachers
    • Accessible Programs
  • Collection
    • Explore one of the most extraordinary collections of art from across Canada and around the world.

      • Search the Collection
      • Collecting Areas
      • Restoration and Conservation
    • Search the Collection
    • Collecting Areas
    • Restoration and Conservation
  • Research
    • The Gallery's Library and Archives offers exceptional resources for scholars, staff and visitors.

      • Library & Archives
      • Search the Gallery Collection
      • Image Reproduction
      • Art Databases
      • Provenance
      • Past Exhibitions
      • Research Publications and Resources
      • Fellowships
      • Prints, Drawings and Photographs Study Room
      • Artwork not on Display
    • Library & Archives
    • Search the Gallery Collection
    • Image Reproduction
    • Art Databases
    • Provenance
    • Past Exhibitions
    • Research Publications and Resources
    • Fellowships
    • Prints, Drawings and Photographs Study Room
    • Artwork not on Display
  • Membership & Giving
  • Magazine
  • Shop
  • EN
  • FR
Share
Search

Search form

  The Gallery is open. Please visit our FAQ page to read our safety measures.

Michel de Broin, Majestic, 2011, lampposts, steel, glass, electricity.

Michel de Broin, Majestic, 2011, lampposts, steel, glass, electricity. Gift of Donald and Beth Sobey, Nova Scotia, 2012. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. © Michel de Broin. Photo: NGC

Public Sculptures and Gardens

The National Gallery of Canada marks the pinnacle of Canadian and international artistic achievement. Designed by Montreal architect Moshe Safdie to look outwards, the Gallery itself offers visitors a unique invitation to explore some of the best visual art in the country – both inside and outside of the building.

Public Sculptures
Made of bronze, sheet metal, carved stone, stainless steel, and even marble, the Gallery’s collection of outdoor sculptures are on display to the general public. Like sentinels of time, these works by outstanding Canadian and international artists — including James Hart, Ugo Rondinone, Michel de Broin, Louise Bourgeois, and Roxy Paine —showcase multidimensionality.

Outdoor Gardens
Landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander worked with Moshe Safdie to create the National Gallery’s indoor and outdoor gardens. Her inspiration for the taiga garden on the southeast side, with its severe northern beauty and muted colours, came from A.Y. Jackson’s painting Terre Sauvage. On the northeast side, a sunken garden of 12 flowering crab-apple trees is surrounded by the living rock into which the building is set. The public walkway next to the sunken garden leads to a path that zigzags up the hill toward Nepean Point.

Visit

  • Hours
  • Admission
  • Location and Parking
  • Visit the Gallery Safely
  • Dining, Shopping and Amenities
  • Groups
  • Schools
  • Hotel Packages
  • Accessibility
  • Floorplan

Featured Videos

Louise Bourgeois
Maman

NGC Building and Grounds -- Louise Bourgeois' Maman (Full video)


 

Michel de Broin
Majestic

Michel de Broin - Majestic

Nicholas Galanin
Nature Will Reclaim You

National Gallery of Canada Artist Interview: Nicholas Galanin


 

Jim Hart
Three Watchmen

NGC Building and Grounds -- Jim Hart's The Three Watchmen (full video)

Cornelia Oberlander
Ascent to Nepean Point

NGC Building and Grounds -- The National Gallery of Canada's Op Art Path and Nepean Point


 

Cornelia Oberlander
Sunken Garden

NGC Building and Grounds -- The National Gallery of Canada's Sunken Garden


 

Cornelia Oberlander
Taiga Garden

NGC Building and Grounds -- National Gallery of Canada's Taiga Garden

Cornelia Oberlander
Winter Garden

NGC Building and Grounds -- The National Gallery of Canada's Winter Garden (The Promenade)


 

Roxy Paine
One Hundred Foot Line

NGC Building and Grounds -- Roxy Paine's One Hundred Foot Line (Full Video)


 

Ugo Rondinone
We run...

NGC Building and Grounds -- Ugo Rondinone's sculpture, "we run through a desert..."(full video)


 

Bill Vazan
Black Nest and Water Planet

NGC Building and Grounds -- Bill Vazan's Black Nest and Water Planet (Full Video)


 

 


Related Articles

In the Spotlight

Sentinels of Time: The Gallery’s Outdoor Sculptures

Made of bronze, sheet metal, carved stone, stainless steel, and even marble, the NGC’s collection of outdoor sculptures are on display to the general public.
November 28, 2017
Books

Exploring the Life and Legacy of Louise Bourgeois

Anyone who has visited the National Gallery of Canada will be familiar with the monumental Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010) sculpture Maman on the plaza outside the Gallery’s front entrance. The sculpture has...
December 5, 2016
In the Spotlight

Traces Left Behind: The Art of Bill Vazan

For over five decades, Canadian artist Bill Vazan has created an impressive and varied body of work. His practice includes conceptual works that engage with maps and investigate the relationship between the...
September 11, 2015
Vue extérieure de l’édifice du Musée des beaux-arts du Canada de soir

Discover the Building

Dramatic by day and stunning by night

LEARN MORE

National Gallery of Canada

Open Today 10:00 am to 8:00 pm

380 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, ON, Canada
K1N 9N4
Directions
Visitor Guidelines

—
613-990-1985
[email protected]

  • About the Gallery
    • From the Director
    • Mission Statement
    • Our History
    • Governance
    • Annual Public Meeting
    • Building
    • Prizes
  • For Professionals
    • Media
    • Museums
    • Teachers
    • Travel Trade
    • Vendors
  • Careers
  • Volunteer
  • Contact Us
    • FAQ
  • Image Reproduction
    • Order Form
  • Venue Rentals
    • Facility Rental Request
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube

Stay informed

Subscribe to receive newsletters, invitations, articles and more.

Sign Up

  • Privacy Notice
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2021 National Gallery of Canada

Canada