National Gallery of Canada

Located just steps from Parliament Hill in downtown Ottawa, the National Gallery of Canada is the country's showcase of the visual arts and a spectacular architectural landmark.

Fast Facts

Created in 1880, the National Gallery is among Canada's oldest national cultural institutions.
Designed by famed architect Moshe Safdie, the Gallery's current building opened in 1988.
Outside the Gallery you can't miss one of its most famous works of art - Maman - a 9.25 metre (30 feet) tall bronze sculpture of a spider carrying a sac of 26 pure white marble eggs under her belly, sculpted by Louise Bourgeois.
The Canadian Galleries display some of the country's largest collections of Canadian art, including works by Tom Thompson and the Group of Seven.
European and American Galleries display paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts from the early fourteenth to the late twentieth century.
Displays of contemporary art change every three to six months to offer rich and varied encounters with art created over the past three decades in Canada and abroad.
Special exhibitions are presented year round.
The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography is also hosted on the premises of the National Gallery of Canada.