Click here for The Bruce-Benedicks Saga and the Birth of the AGH.

Founded in 1914, the Art Gallery of Hamilton is now one of Ontario's largest public galleries. Over its 90-year history, it has grown, changed and developed along with the communities it serves, building a permanent collection distinguished by the quality and integrity of its holdings. Our permanent collection is one of the finest in Canada, respected nationally and internationally and recognized as being particularly distinctive due in part to a significant number of iconic works that serve to distinguish the collection. Numbering over 9,000 works of art, the collection comprises primarily Canadian historical, modern and contemporary holdings, works nationally recognized as significant achievements in the development of the visual arts in Canada and that allow for an understanding and appreciation of the rich field of cultural activity.

The cornerstone of the collection is the Bruce Memorial, a donation of 29 paintings made in 1914 to the city from the family of Hamilton-born artist William Blair Bruce (1859-1906). This donation saw both the establishment of the Gallery and the inception of the permanent collection.

The 'Bruce Memorial' is an appropriate touchstone for the collection. As an important nineteenth-century Hamiltonian who trained and worked abroad and exhibited both nationally and internationally, Bruce's skill and activities reflect the scope and nature of Hamilton's permanent collection: regional, national and international in scope, chronicling the efforts and activities of artists who have exerted an impact on the visual arts past and present.

With the gift from collectors Joey and Toby Tanenbaum of over 200 works of nineteenth-century European Art, the AGH collection has been re-shaped and catapulted onto the international stage becoming an important Canadian centre for the study of nineteenth-century French art. The profile of the AGH collection is focused in four areas: Canadian Historical, Contemporary, European Historical and the Irving Zucker Sculpture Garden.