Art Gallery of Ontario

Audio recorded verbal descriptions provide an accessible and detailed narrative to extend your experience of the AGO. Explore the AGO facade and the artworks outside the building, Henry Moore's Two Forms and Brian Jungen's Couch Monster: Sadzěʔ yaaghęhch'ill. These descriptions, rich in detail and sensory language, provide a vivid exploration of form, texture, and artistic intention, ensuring that all visitors can engage deeply with these celebrated pieces of architecture and public art.

Audio recorded verbal descriptions provide an accessible and detailed narrative to extend your experience of the AGO. Explore the AGO facade and the artworks outside the building, Henry Moore's Two Forms and Brian Jungen's Couch Monster: Sadzěʔ yaaghęhch'ill. These descriptions, rich in detail and sensory language, provide a vivid exploration of form, texture, and artistic intention, ensuring that all visitors can engage deeply with these celebrated pieces of architecture and public art.

Audio recorded verbal descriptions provide an accessible and detailed narrative to extend your experience of the AGO. Explore the AGO facade and the artworks outside the building, Henry Moore's Two Forms and Brian Jungen's Couch Monster: Sadzěʔ yaaghęhch'ill. These descriptions, rich in detail and sensory language, provide a vivid exploration of form, texture, and artistic intention, ensuring that all visitors can engage deeply with these celebrated pieces of architecture and public art.

AGO Exhibition Audio Tracks

AGO Exhibition Audio Tracks

AGO Exhibition Audio Tracks

AGO Exhibition Audio Tracks

Sound clip of rowing in water

Untitled 1988 acrylic on canvas Private collection All images © Keith Haring Foundation This untitled work shows a human figure struggling to walk up a staircase while carrying a massive egg tied to its back. The egg is cracked and a sperm with devil horns bursts from its shell. The painting speaks profoundly to the AIDS epidemic that took the lives of so many within Haring's community, including his own. Using monumental scale, a palette drained of colour, and graphic imagery, Haring represented the impossible weight of the AIDS crisis.

The Great White Way 1988 acrylic on canvas The Keith Haring Foundation All images © Keith Haring Foundation Stretched in the shape of a penis, this massive painting is a critical visualization of what author bell hooks described as “imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy.” The pink phallus is decorated with black lines that make up an intricate scene of weapons, violence, torture, and other abuses of power—a visual representation of the problems of Euro-American society. Haring's title implies the white supremacist ideology underpinning these activities. The painting shows a phallocentric world in which profit and power in the name of “good” and God are used as tools of oppression. The Great White Way is a prime example of what is perhaps Haring's greatest skill: the ability to make something look like shallow fun—in this case, a massive, cartoonish, pink, candy-striped penis—while simultaneously speaking truth to some of society's foremost tyrannies.

Untitled 1985 Acrylic and oil on canvas Courtesy of The Parker Foundation All images © Keith Haring Foundation Haring grew up and came out as a gay man during a time that encouraged increased freedom of sexual expression, largely fuelled by the counterculture, women's rights, and gay liberation movements of the 1960s and 1970s. By the early 1980s, a new countermovement emerged that was led by conservative politicians and the religious right. Simultaneously, the AIDS epidemic was growing. Painted in 1985, this untitled work responds to these realities, showing a fiery hellscape of sexual aggression and torture. The theme of hell—often depicted with scenes of uninhibited sexuality—has been addressed throughout art history, from Auguste Rodin's The Gates of Hell (1880–1917) to Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights (1500s). Haring's version remains true to his signature line, while also depicting a cast of human and animal figures as well as Christian symbols such as frogs, serpents, and angels.

Untitled 1984 acrylic and enamel on canvas The Broad Art Foundation, Los Angeles All images © Keith Haring Foundation During the 1980s, wealth inequality in the United States grew significantly under Ronald Reagan's neoliberal trickle-down economics policies known as Reaganomics. Haring criticized greed and capitalism in several works featuring the image of the “capitalist pig.” This tarp painting portrays a pig spewing money-green vomit made up of computers, televisions, clocks, airplanes, and other modern-day objects. The green bile pools on the ground from which little figures climb, suckling the sickly pig's teats. This work is a monstrous depiction of the struggle of production in an era when everything was deemed consumable.

Tree of Life 1985 acrylic on canvas tarpaulin with metal grommets Private collection All images © Keith Haring Foundation This large painting is hung in landscape orientation and is approximately 10' high x 12' wide. It is created in Haring's instantly recognizable style which repeats brightly coloured and stylised shapes outlined in black . Tree of Life is a painting of a large green tree contrasted against a bright pink background, underneath it, four yellow dancing figures are shown from the waist up. It is mounted directly to the wall with screws through grommets, 13 across and 11 high. The top two thirds of the painting are taken up by the trees leaves which sprout off two main branches that split off at the trunk. The branches corkscrew, as do twiggy offshoots. Each offshoot results in either an oval leaf shape with one line down the centre indicating the fold of the leaf shape or, sprouts a similar shape with an added round head and pumping arms with rounded hands on the ends. In total there are 9 tree leaf figures with arms bent at elbows and raised up and there are 12 leaves. The crown of the tree is painted so that it fills up the canvas giving it a rectangle shape. Outlining the tree leaves and bodies, are stacks of dashes which indicate movement and seem to cause the tree to visually quiver, vibrate and shake in a chorus of celebratory movement. Filling up all the available space around these shapes, Haring adds another familiar element. Straight black lines radiate outward around the heads of the tree leaf figures, using a visual shorthand for what could be interpreted as awareness, enlightenment, anger, confusion or something else. The following exhibition wall quote speaks to this: “I am interested in making art to be experienced and explored by as many individuals as possible, with as many different individual ideas about the given piece with no final meaning attached.” Keith Haring. Spread out in the lower third of the work are the head, torso and arms of four larger figures, two on each side of the tree trunk. Their arms are raised up with elbows bent, motion lines in effect. Their yellow bodies are filled in with a pattern of brighter orange squares. In the centre of their round heads in face position is a single black “x” shape. Some of Haring's favorite party music can be heard emanating from a nearby room which celebrates his use of Day Glo paints. Day-Glo colors are shades of orange, pink, green, and yellow which are so bright that they seem to glow. The walls outside this room and in close proximity to Tree of Life are vertically striped in orange paint and pink Dayglo paint. They back a pair of architectural columns that Haring created and painted in a similar style. Also close by is a large triangular canvas entitled, “A Pile of Crowns for Jean-Michel Basquiat”, in which Haring pays homage to his contemporary, artist Jean Michel Basquiat. Haring has painted Basquiat's signature symbol, a three pointed crown, in a triangular mound of crowns. It has black lines emanating outward around the pile. He includes a small letter c copyright symbol in the lower right corner of this work.

The AGO is home to the Thomson Collection of Ship Models: over 130 examples of miniaturized ships spanning hundreds of years of maritime history. One of the most important models in the collection is George Stockwell's (1729-1805) 1774 model of the Bristol. Designed in 1768 and completed in 1775, the Bristol was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line built for the Royal Navy amidst England's war to suppress the independence movement in its American colonies. Image credit: British fourth-rate two-decker 50-gun warship: Bristol (detail) 1774 George Stockwell, (British, 1729-1805) Georgian Model, scale1:48 The Thomson Collection Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

The AGO is home to the Thomson Collection of Ship Models: over 130 examples of miniaturized ships spanning hundreds of years of maritime history. One of the most important models in the collection is George Stockwell's (1729-1805) 1774 model of the Bristol. Designed in 1768 and completed in 1775, the Bristol was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line built for the Royal Navy amidst England's war to suppress the independence movement in its American colonies. Image credit: British fourth-rate two-decker 50-gun warship: Bristol (detail) 1774 George Stockwell, (British, 1729-1805) Georgian Model, scale1:48 The Thomson Collection Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

The AGO is home to the Thomson Collection of Ship Models: over 130 examples of miniaturized ships spanning hundreds of years of maritime history. One of the most important models in the collection is George Stockwell's (1729-1805) 1774 model of the Bristol. Designed in 1768 and completed in 1775, the Bristol was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line built for the Royal Navy amidst England's war to suppress the independence movement in its American colonies. Image credit: British fourth-rate two-decker 50-gun warship: Bristol (detail) 1774 George Stockwell, (British, 1729-1805) Georgian Model, scale1:48 The Thomson Collection Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

The AGO is home to the Thomson Collection of Ship Models: over 130 examples of miniaturized ships spanning hundreds of years of maritime history. One of the most important models in the collection is George Stockwell's (1729-1805) 1774 model of the Bristol. Designed in 1768 and completed in 1775, the Bristol was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line built for the Royal Navy amidst England's war to suppress the independence movement in its American colonies. Image credit: British fourth-rate two-decker 50-gun warship: Bristol (detail) 1774 George Stockwell, (British, 1729-1805) Georgian Model, scale1:48 The Thomson Collection Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

The AGO is home to the Thomson Collection of Ship Models: over 130 examples of miniaturized ships spanning hundreds of years of maritime history. One of the most important models in the collection is George Stockwell's (1729-1805) 1774 model of the Bristol. Designed in 1768 and completed in 1775, the Bristol was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line built for the Royal Navy amidst England's war to suppress the independence movement in its American colonies. Image credit: British fourth-rate two-decker 50-gun warship: Bristol (detail) 1774 George Stockwell, (British, 1729-1805) Georgian Model, scale1:48 The Thomson Collection Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

The AGO is home to the Thomson Collection of Ship Models: over 130 examples of miniaturized ships spanning hundreds of years of maritime history. One of the most important models in the collection is George Stockwell's (1729-1805) 1774 model of the Bristol. Designed in 1768 and completed in 1775, the Bristol was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line built for the Royal Navy amidst England's war to suppress the independence movement in its American colonies. Image credit: British fourth-rate two-decker 50-gun warship: Bristol (detail) 1774 George Stockwell, (British, 1729-1805) Georgian Model, scale1:48 The Thomson Collection Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

The AGO is home to the Thomson Collection of Ship Models: over 130 examples of miniaturized ships spanning hundreds of years of maritime history. One of the most important models in the collection is George Stockwell's (1729-1805) 1774 model of the Bristol. Designed in 1768 and completed in 1775, the Bristol was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line built for the Royal Navy amidst England's war to suppress the independence movement in its American colonies. Image credit: British fourth-rate two-decker 50-gun warship: Bristol (detail) 1774 George Stockwell, (British, 1729-1805) Georgian Model, scale1:48 The Thomson Collection Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

The AGO is home to the Thomson Collection of Ship Models: over 130 examples of miniaturized ships spanning hundreds of years of maritime history. One of the most important models in the collection is George Stockwell's (1729-1805) 1774 model of the Bristol. Designed in 1768 and completed in 1775, the Bristol was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line built for the Royal Navy amidst England's war to suppress the independence movement in its American colonies. Image credit: British fourth-rate two-decker 50-gun warship: Bristol (detail) 1774 George Stockwell, (British, 1729-1805) Georgian Model, scale1:48 The Thomson Collection Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

The AGO is home to the Thomson Collection of Ship Models: over 130 examples of miniaturized ships spanning hundreds of years of maritime history. One of the most important models in the collection is George Stockwell's (1729-1805) 1774 model of the Bristol. Designed in 1768 and completed in 1775, the Bristol was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line built for the Royal Navy amidst England's war to suppress the independence movement in its American colonies. Image credit: British fourth-rate two-decker 50-gun warship: Bristol (detail) 1774 George Stockwell, (British, 1729-1805) Georgian Model, scale1:48 The Thomson Collection Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

UNTITLED (HARING) 1997 acrylic on existing advertising poster This large portrait orientation work is a painting done on a black and white poster. The original poster features a photograph of artist Keith Haring. In this framed work the height of an average person and 4 feet wide Haring is captured larger than life from the waist up. He is in profile facing left, drawing on a blank area on the left of a subway ad displayed inside a subway station. Haring is a white man with short curly mid-tone hair. He wears glasses and a leather jacket with the word champion on a patch on his left sleeve. He is drawing with chalk onto a dark background with his right hand. The drawing resembles both a cowboy hat and a UFO, and he is connecting it to a pyramid with a series of vertical dashes. On the right the ad appears to say, “now roast without risk” above a photo of a dark roast turkey. KAWS has painted onto this poster in an uncomplicated cartoonish style. Here he has added a character named “Bendy”. Bendy looms over Haring's shoulder as he works. Bendy is a yellow creature with a big head with x's for eyes, commas for nostrils and grey crossbones shaped protrusions. Bendy's head narrows to a serpentine body which wraps under Haring's right arm and around his body once and through his open left hand held at waist height as if Haring is grasping onto its tail directly in front of him. KAWS has signed the work with the year “97” and a copyright symbol and written what looks to be Keith Haring's name but only the Keith is visible. This work is hung in between two other pieces which are existing advertising posters that KAWS painted over.

THE NEWS series 2017 acrylic on canvas Nine equally sized circle shaped paintings each with a two foot or 50 cm diameter displayed in a grid of three rows of three comprise this work. They use a bright neon palette of pinks, blues, greens and yellows; these are also a typical colour palette in KAWS's depictions of graphic or cartoon-inspired works. Kaws uses opposing colours to create contrasts. These round canvases show layers of motifs used by KAWS. Each canvas is like a closeup of another work, in a way drawing focus to a particular aspect of something larger. They are dynamic and playful. Most of them have black outlined eyeballs that have x'd out pupils which take up half or more of the canvas. A third have eyelids and a couple have eyelashes. There is a tongue and digits of a hand and most have a line or wave of colour at the centre. They do not form an image when viewed all together, rather they present a detail that serves as the focal point for each canvas. On each canvas KAWS plays with optical illusions, the 3D effect of which can become apparent for many people if looking at the works with a fixed gaze. This is accomplished through the subtle addition of shadows which are painted on. These shadows create a sense of depth and aspects of the painting appear to pop out from the canvas.

GOOD INTENTIONS 2015 bronze and paint Collection of the Madison Group, Courtesy Corkin Gallery GOOD INTENTIONS is a sculpture, presenting two identical figures which stand closely side by side on a low riser against the wall. The one on the right stands at 7 feet tall.The one on the left is smaller reaching the right figure's waist and hides, childlike, behind it's leg. They are various shades of matte grey and white. The features and style of these figures are those of a character which KAWS has dubbed quote “COMPANION” . With its white cartoonish gloves, oversized shoes, and large-buttoned shorts, it bears an intentional resemblance to Walt Disney Studios mascot Mickey Mouse. The notable exception is the mouse head, which in the “COMPANION” character is replaced with a white “soft skull” and grey crossbones with black X's for eyes. The figures are smooth with slightly rotund torsos and perfectly round legs. They wear brownish grey shorts with two palm sized circles in the front like buttons where suspenders might attach. Their short gloves have a bulge at the cuff, and their hands have three fingers and a thumb. They wear smooth rounded shoes that bulge above the ankle. The taller figure on the right stands with its right foot slightly forward. From behind, the smaller figure holds onto the taller figure's right leg , threading its hand between the taller figure's legs and leaning in as a child might do. The taller figure twists to hold its right hand behind the smaller figure's head, shielding it or pulling it close in what could be perceived as a protective gesture. These two figures in KAWS's “COMPANION” character style, share signature traits with other characters in the KAWS Family: Letter X's etched into their heads instead of eyes and the same X motif on the backs of their gloves and tops of their shoes. Their large heads are in the style of a cartoon skull with two divots for nostrils and knobby “crossbone” protrusions on the sides of their heads. At the bottom of their heads they have 4 rounded bumps with teeth-like gaps. In the room around them KAWS‘s “Kimpsons” characters are displayed. These are liberal appropriations of characters from the popular long running tv show The Simpsons which are instantly recognizable. The Kimpsons have X's for eyes and other traits KAWS has created that make up his signature style.

MAN'S BEST FRIEND 2014 acrylic on paper This work is a massive gridded rectangle of 50 black and white line drawings. The width of the work is about 3 king size mattresses and it is almost one and a half mattresses high nearly reaching the Gallery ceiling. Each framed drawing is 22 inches tall and 18 inches wide. The grid is composed of two dimensional line drawn characters from Peanuts which resemble Snoopy, a familiar comic strip character which is a Black-spotted white beagle and Snoopy‘s friend, a small bird named Woodstock. In each of the close-ups the character's eyes are replaced by x's, in KAWS's trademark X shape. Recognizable in the paintings are: the spiky feathers on the top of Woodstock's head, Snoopy's water bowl, the side of Snoopy's head and floppy letter U shaped ear, Snoopy‘s short pointy tail and back foot as he walks upright, the top of Snoopy‘s head with a Mountie hat on it, his black dot of a nose, and his up-curving-line wide smile and various extreme close-ups of his eyes marked as an X. The wall on which this work is hung and two adjacent walls on either side are covered in outsized black lines that look as if they were made with a giant black pen that leapt off of one of the drawings and danced around on the walls with explosive energy. Nearby on either side of the work are sculptures called SHARE and TAKE. On the left is SHARE. SHARE features KAWS's “Companion” Character standing holding another character dubbed “BFF” which is toy sized and dangles from it's left hand like a stuffed animal. BFF is bright blue and resembles Sesame Street muppets like Cookie Monster or Elmo. It has bulging eyes atop it's head with x's for pupils a round yellow nose and a fuzzy frame like a soft toy. On the right of the grid of drawings, in the opposite corner, the sculpture titled TAKE swaps the two characters; a large BFF stands and clutches a small toy sized COMPANION character to its chest.

KAWS in Galleria Italia Sculpture in Wood KAWS born Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, 1974 These sculptures are situated in Galleria Italia, a city-block-long 4 meter or 14 foot wide east/west thoroughfare in the Gallery building. There is a two storey window wall on the north side and warm brown coloured wood paneling on the south. Although they are placed without barriers the works are not intended to be touched and a recommended distance to be held of 1 meter or three feet is indicated. At a short distance from the passageway between the Signy Eaton gallery and the ramp on the western end of Galleria Italia is the first of three playful works called FINAL DAYS, the second is called ALONG THE WAY and the third, AT THIS TIME. All three larger than life size statues feature the character KAWS has dubbed COMPANION. The sculptures are solid, and glossed to a high shine with a veneer finish, giving them a silky appearance. They show wood grain and a vertical rectangle assembly much like a hardwood floor. The statue figures are smooth with slightly rotund torsos and perfectly round legs. Their short gloves have a bulge at the cuff, and their hands have three fingers and a thumb. They wear smooth rounded shoes that bulge above the ankle. The letter X motif is also carved on the backs of their gloves and tops of their shoes. With its cartoonish gloves, oversized shoes, and large-buttoned shorts, it bears an intentional resemblance to Walt Disney Studios mascot Mickey Mouse. The notable exception is the mouse head, which in the “COMPANION” character is replaced with a “soft skull” and crossbones and carved X's for eyes. In these sculptures, KAWS's ”Companion” figures veer toward the human in their poses and their implied pathos. The first work diagonally faces us at the left of the walkway near to the window wall. FINAL DAYS 2014 Afromosia wood Here, the character of “COMPANION” is slightly taller than average person standing height and uniquely has a small cottonball shaped tail, and does not wear gloves or shoes or have buttons on its shorts. It steps forward on its left leg with arms extended. Its arms are held wide to the side with palms vertical and fingers slightly curled reaching in joy or perhaps stretching for balance as it moves. The next sculpture stands 35 feet further east up against the south wall and faces the windows. ALONG THE WAY 2013 Afromosia wood This 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide statue is wood with a black finish. It has two “COMPANION” figures who stand side by side as one supports the other. The figure on the right is completely limp from mid back up and appears zapped of energy, strength or both; it uses it's right arm to hold onto the supporting figure's shoulder. The supporting figure braces the limp figure by leaning its body towards it. The supporting figure also holds it's left hand on the small of the limp figures back in a consoling gesture. 30 feet further and centred in the walkway is the last physical statue towards the middle of Galleria Italia. It is placed nearest to the window wall and faces us. AT THIS TIME 2013 Afromosia wood The largest COMPANION character statue is a medium brown wood colour and stands nearly 8 and a half feet tall. The figure stands feet together, body slightly bent backwards with its head tilted up and back. Elbows wide, COMPANION'S gloved hands reach up and shroud its face.

The Open Door, around 1913, oil on canvas, Lent by Samuel & Esther Sarick. First, a moment to discuss the painting techniques which are hallmarks of these impressionist works that will be described in this exhibition. Impressionism is an art movement that was first named in France in the 1870s. Artists took their subject matter from contemporary life, and instead of using a highly realistic style of painting, artists created an ‘impression' of what they saw through light and colour. In each of the audio described paintings the directionality of light is evident. The artists' techniques vary but can include thick layers of paint, visible brushstrokes such as cross hatching and the layering of colours. This work is 76 by 63 cm and in portrait orientation. The work is framed by a gold-coloured wood frame which is 8 cm wide and embellished with ornate carved curlicues. In The Open Door, a vibrantly painted thicket, viewed through a door which sits opened, takes up much of the left half of the painting. A white woman stands just inside the door on the right, focused on her sewing held in her hands. The colours in this piece are muted bluish greys with the exception of the brilliant bright yellows of the foliage, which is one the painting's focal points. The woman is slim, young and dark haired with her hair pulled back and worn up. She wears a collared, white floor-length dress cinched at the waist with the sleeves folded to her elbows. Her back is to the door and her slightly raised shoulders are curled forward. Her mouth has fallen slightly open as she focuses on a small swatch of gauzy white fabric or lace. She holds the cloth up for examination close to her face, the tail end of which falls to her waist. Inside the door to her right is a dresser with a mirror that has a gold candlestick and silver metal kettle on it. Out the door, the lush tangle of bushes and a tree glistens with the daylight that filters inside and highlights the woman's right shoulder, collar, knuckles and skirt. Leaves are indicated with a cross-hatched texture that fill the entire outdoor view. On the far left, on the back of the open door, hang a coat and hat. The woman's short shadow is cast against the wooden floor. This work is paired with a Cassatt painting which hangs to its left and is called Young Girl at a Window. It features a young elegantly dressed woman sitting with her back to a window opened to the Paris skyline.

Francoise in Green, Sewing, 1908–1909, oil on Canvas, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama, Gift of the Ida Belle Young Art Acquisition Fund, 2009.0006. Nearby other works in which young working-class children are dressed and posed as upper-class children, this painting captures a fair-skinned white girl of about 10 seated, opulently dressed, and engaged with her sewing pastime. This work is 81 by 65 cm and hung in portrait orientation. The work is framed by a gold-coloured wood frame which is 12 cm wide and embellished with carved decorative reliefs. The girl has fine brown hair parted at the side and falling over her shoulder in loose ringlets. Her hair is held back with a red bow over her left ear. She looks down at her fingers, a hands-length from her face, as they presumably thread a needle. Her top is a cape or shawl-like lacy construction that appears through the painting technique to be like frothy foamy water with layers of bright white peeping through blues, greys and muted white brushstrokes. Her green skirt fills the bottom third of the painting, thick brushstrokes cascade its four vertically striped tiers down towards the observer in a symphony of greens. Sunlight spills into the scene from the left above the girl's shoulder, highlighting the skirt and giving it a satiny glow. Her temple, cheek, shoulder and arm are also lit, giving them a smooth appearance in contrast to the blurred edges of the painting technique. The light also touches the back and arm of the padded, wide, King Louis the 16th style wooden chair she sits on. The chair back is a brownish grey fabric and has a lightly sketched floral pattern set in a decoratively carved thick wood frame. Behind her on the left is a bright green drape, and to the far right past her shoulder is the edge of a wall. Between them, a glimpse into another room with a muted yellow patterned rug, a chair back, and a section of mantlepiece against a far wall. The artist's signature is in dark blue at the bottom right of the work.

Portrait of Madame J (Young Woman in Black), 1883, oil on canvas, Collection of the Maryland State Archives, MSA SC 4680-10-0010. This work is one of 5 spotlit paintings in this section of the exhibition which has 5 angled walls, giving each work its own wall. Here, each of three works by McNicoll and two by Cassatt present us with an elegantly dressed woman posed indoors. In three paintings the woman is positioned on or beside a Chintz sofa or chair. This work is 80 by 64 cm hung and in portrait orientation. The work is framed by a gold-coloured wood frame which is 10 cm wide and embellished with carved rope and ribbon patterns. A slim young white woman sits forward on an upholstered chair in a tasteful interior. She rests her left elbow on the arm of the chair and gazes off to the left, thinking. The young woman is dressed in a black, long sleeve riding jacket. It has a high collar with a small decorative swatch of white fabric at the left of her neck. Her dark hair is almost completely covered by a short brimmed black hat with feathers and a thin veil which comes down to just under her lips. The veil gives her face a light greyish hue, making her face appear to be bright between the blacks of her outfit. Her lips are rosy and suggest a slight smile. The chair's fabric is pale yellow with a floral pattern in red and dark green. Thick, long brushstrokes create the flowers and leaves of the fabric behind the woman and in a small triangle between her side and the bend of her elbow on the armrest. The wall behind her is a brownish purple of mauve and taupe hues with two horizontal lines of gold chair rail moulding on it. Hung above this and behind the top of her hat is a rectangular artwork. Against a white background it features the shape of an arch in brown and yellow which resembles the shape of a handheld fan when opened. The artist's signature is in black at the bottom right of the work. Also on display nearby is a video of a discussion in ASL between artists Rae Rezwell and Peter Owusu-Ansah about the work of McNicoll who was also d/Deaf.

Wood Green and Broadstairs, 1903, from Gower Sketchbook, graphite and watercolour on wove paper, Art Gallery of Ontario, Gift of Jane and John McNicoll, 2002, 2002/9441. Displayed on a table and under Plexiglas, this is one of 8 sketchbooks at the centre of the last room in the exhibition. This room displays the two artists' works in their own right. A series of five colour prints on paper by Cassatt are on one wall, and on the others are paintings from McNicoll's travels of landscapes and figures. The vertically oriented sketchbook is 20 cm tall by 16 cm wide and is open to a small watercolour sketch and life drawings of figures in pencil on both of its off-white pages. In the right upper half of the top page is the watercolour which is slightly larger than a business card. Two thirds is of a dramatic sky with towering grey clouds and one patch of pastel blue near the top. The lower third is a landscape with still waters on the left and a sandy beach and an escarpment rising on the right. Patches of grey, blue and brown dot the beach and indicate bathers at the shore. Under the watercolour is a sketch of the rear view of a child holding a pail and walking in the sand wearing a sunhat with a ribboned band. In a sketch to the left, another child, also seen from behind, sways in a swimming dress with horizontal stripes. To the top left and bottom right of the bottom page are inscriptions. The writing at the top left reads: Wood Green May 1903. Under this are three rear view sketches of a barefoot adolescent figure in a skirt. One is standing with their arms in front of them, presumably carrying something. The remaining two sit perched on a ledge, with one facing left with their left knee raised to also rest on the wall. Writing at the bottom right reads Broadstairs 1903. Spaced around the bottom page are 6 walnut sized sketches of scenes that the artist would have seen during a trip to Broadstairs, on the coast of England. Two depict a child in a sun hat playing with a bucket on the beach. Four are of a person in what resembles a long wool bathing dress and beret-shaped swimming cap. They alternately sit up and recline, leaning on an elbow in the sand, with two sketched as outlines with only a few short strokes of pencil. Around 60 additional images from all the sketchbooks are shown on a monitor mounted on the wall nearby. The other sketchbooks in the case are opened to show drawings such as: sketches of models, females in the nude and males wearing only loincloths, seaside landscapes and village scenes, pencil portrait sketches, a young boy leaning on a staircase, women beside an easel talking in an art class, and a man standing behind a tripod with a surveyor's instrument called a Survey Transit Telescope.

The Moose Story by Art Gallery of Ontario

My Mother's Last Hand from Untitled (Watercolour Notebook) 1980–1985 notebook with 13 watercolours Audio description of the work This is a description of a watercolour painting in a notebook which is slightly larger than letter paper size. The notebook is displayed under a plexiglass case at standing height eye level and is open to this watercolour of the palm of a left hand, made as a part of a daily practice of drawing. Taking up a full page of the right side of the notebook, this line drawing is of a left hand, palm up angling from the bottom left to the top right of the page. The thumb is parallel to the other fingers and is held in a resting position between the pointer and middle fingers. It is in profile and has a short nail quite close to it's knuckle. The hand, drawn in black ink, has cross hatched shading on the right side of the fingers and on it's heel and springlike coils of hair along its thick wrist. It is shaded in with a watery magenta. The space on the page above it, on the left, is purple and below it, is yellow. Written diagonally along its upper flank are the words -Quote “My mother's last hand” end quote. Looming large beside the work on the right is a giant reproduction of a watercolour painting of a woman reclining, A work Cohen created after the style of a painting featuring what he would have called an Odalisque, an eroticized artistic genre in which a concubine is represented mostly or completely nude in a reclining position. End of Audio Description. Exhibition label text: This watercolour notebook contains 13 drawings made by Cohen over several years and executed in a consistent style. The full selection can be seen on the monitor to the left. Many are annotated with a single line or couplet that responds to the content and mood suggested by the drawing. The notebook is open at the page that shows the hand of his mother, Masha, who died in 1978. He later explained: quote “Drawn in the last few months of her life, it is her hand and my hand drawn as one.” end quote End of Exhibition label text.

Green Chair Leonard Cohen Green Chair 2007 Inkjet print Audio description of the work This framed image in portrait orientation is an enlarged print of a watercolor painting of a green armchair. It is 30 inches by 20 inches or 76 by 50 cm. Originally painted on a sheet of lined notebook paper in the watercolour notebook just steps away, the page's lines are still visible, especially on the borders of the work. Similar in style to the other watercolours this bright green rounded back chair plays with shape and perspective. The seat and curved upholstered armrests seem to pitch forward by showing both the perspective from in front of and looking down on the seat cushion at the same time. It has a wide seat with sturdy wooden legs which are on casters. Draped over the back of the chair is a rectangular white crocheted doily with an eight sided star shape and scalloped edges. On the seat of the chair is a square cushion on which are sprigs of pink flowers and what resemble two yellow birds and a purplish blue three sided shape on a white background. The chair is on a wooden floor coloured in yellow with wide planks set near to a white wall. In the painting everything is playfully tilted towards the right. On the bottom left are two stamps. A red circle with an upside down and rightside up heart and a red square. Beside this in handwriting is the print number listed as 90 out of 200. In the bottom center green chair is written and on the bottom right is a signature Leonard Cohen 2011. This is the only work centered on a wide blue wall. Written in large white print above it is a quote by Leonard Cohen Quote, “If you liberate yourself, anything you lay your hand on can sparkle”. End quote End of Audio Description.

The Spice Box of Earth around 1960 ink on cardboard Leonard Cohen archives, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto Audio description of the work This work is a drawing on a piece of sand brown cardboard slightly smaller than letter paper size. The cardboard is the everyday corrugated sort that would make up a cardboard box and the drawing is presumed to be made by a black ball point pen. Written in three lines and in all capital letters, The text “SPICE BOX” “OF” and “EARTH” takes up the centre of the cardboard. On the right hand side is a two dimensional drawing of a traditional Jewish Besamim container, also known as a spice box or spice tower. The spice box is drawn as a triangle on top of a square. Its base is three long thin tripod-like legs protruding from the bottom. At the very top of the spice box is a little pointed flag bearing three Hebrew letters, right to left, Kaf He Nun-Sofit. The triangle top of the spice box has its scaly texture indicated by row upon row of backwards letter C‘s . The body of the box is filled with fine looping doodles that resemble the curved metal of a filigree pattern. Along the bottom there are three rows of the scale pattern which continues on the tripod legs which travel straight down and then curve out quite close to their base. The cardboard has a few grease stains in the centre and a few dabs of dirt near the bottom. On the top left corner written in pencil is the word box and the roman numeral for 3 which is three straight vertical lines. The book “Spice Box of Earth” is on display in a case nearby. Also displayed on the same wall as this work is a typical Cohen doodle and a poem on the back of a napkin. A floor to ceiling reproduction of a black and white photograph of a young Cohen sitting at his writing desk in his creative space in Hydra, Greece is affixed to this wall at the far left. End of Audio Description. Exhibition label text: Published in 1961, Spice-Box of Earth was the most popular and commercially successful of Cohen's early books, and established his reputation as a leading poet in Canada. Its title draws from the ceremonial object— usually made of silver and decorated with elaborate filigree—used in the Havdalah (“separation” in Hebrew) ritual that marks the end of the Jewish Sabbath on Saturday evening. Cohen's poem “Out of the Land of Heaven” celebrates the joy and sacredness of the Sabbath and the role of the spice box in it. This distinctive sketch made by Cohen, drawn in ink on a scrap of cardboard, includes his family name—Kohen— written in Hebrew in the flag attached to the finial. End of Exhibition label text.

Portrait of Georgianna (Anne) Sherman and Leonard Cohen around 1958 gelatin silver print Audio description of the work Displayed against a black backdrop, this palm sized black and white photo is in a keepsake tin frame with a shiny metallic relief border. This photobooth photo depicts a young Leonard Cohen with his then love interest Anne. The couple in their 20's take up the bottom two thirds of the photograph. Cohen is on the right and looks directly at the camera, his mouth open in the process of a smile. On the left is Anne in profile. She is in front of Cohen and her forehead touches his temple. She is a white woman with straight brown shoulder length hair held back by a kerchief worn as a hairband. She has high cheekbones and wears lipstick and a light shirt. She smiles as she looks. He is a white man and his dark hair is worn short. He has a five o'clock shadow and wears a collared knit shirt which is undone. In this area depicting Cohen's early life this plexiglass topped display table shows a collection of writing and other artifacts. Also in this case is a sample of Cohen's social network and community including a photo of Cohen with his lifetime friend, Morton Rosegarden. The documents include personal letters to his mother from summer camp, a school report card, and a letter from his camp counselor. End of Audio Description. Exhibition label text: Cohen's first serious love affair was with Georgianna Sherman, whom he referred to as Anne or Annie. They met at Columbia University in New York City, where Cohen was pursuing graduate studies in literature and Sherman was a program coordinator. The innocence of their young love is captured in this gem-like, framed photo-booth portrait. Their relationship ended due to Cohen's strong resistance to settling down, but he continued to write to Sherman and send poems such as the following, which was published in Selected Poems: 1956–1968: For Anne (Audio of Leonard Cohen) With Annie gone, Whose eyes to compare With the morning sun? Not that I did compare, But I do compare Now that she's gone. End of Exhibition label text.

Desk in Room 1219 1968 notebook page with Polaroid Type 20 instant prints Set against a deep blue wall a square plexiglass case displays two wall mounted items from the collection of Cohen's personal journals displayed in this area of the exhibition labeled “Tennessee 1968”. On the left, at standing-height eye level, is a page from a tall and narrow lined notebook with five palm sized black and white polaroid photos stuck in it. Next to this on the right is a typed sheet of paper with a block of text on the top half. The journal page will be described followed by a reading of the typed text. Cohen on Guns 1968 typed page Moving to the typed paper displayed alongside the journal page: The paper has yellowed slightly by time and the darkness of the letters of the text is slightly irregular as were the products of manual typewriters of the day. The handwritten number 88 is in the top right corner. The typed text reads: Nashville December 20, 1968 My heart leaped up when I beheld the glass counter With its magic row of revolvers in the Woodbine Army Surplus Store. My eyes devoured the precious machinery. I had to keep myself from laughing out in joy. To be so close! Magic moves from poem to gun. I came close to loving the automobile but I never quite succeeded. Watches and clocks have their fascination but I am so uninvolved in the jewels and the wheels. It is like watching fish in a bowl, one cannot interfere, only behold. The artifacts in museums interested me by the mere accident of their survival. I never loved a shard or a painting. I've walked through factories, rebuking myself for my indifference, straining to be a modern man who at least respects his utensils, stifling a yawn. But these guns, I loved them as my eye fell upon them, as one loves beautiful women. I bought the tear gas pen, dreaming.

Still Life 1976–1980 ink and crayon on paper Audio description of the work Drawn on a leaf of slightly larger than letter sized white paper is a dynamic arrangement of everyday objects drawn in blueish-metallic hues. In this work Cohen has drawn a canister of paint thinner, a candle stick, a salt shaker and a can of root beer and arranged them in an equally spaced zigzag on the page, two in the background and two in the foreground. On the left the paint thinner is a rectangular tin which sits in the middle of the page and is half it's height. The company name GRUMBACHER is printed down the side of the pale blue receptacle. The label is white and reads DILUANTS ODEUR PRE-TEST. Under this is a skull and crossbones to indicate it is poison. Just to the left of centre positioned with its base at the bottom of the page is a plain gray candlestick holder with a nub of a white candle. It is three quarters the height of the page. On the right side is a typical restaurant type glass salt shaker placed slightly higher than the candlestick and slightly shorter than half of the page height. It is a quarter full of white salt. Its glass sides appear with slightly diagonal edges as if its twisted to the right. Nestled into the bottom right corner is the top half of a can of root beer. Brown with a red label that has a mini mug of root beer at the top of it, the letters “I-R-E-S” are the end letters of the label's brand. The can has been opened and the lid is entirely visible at an odd angle. On the left side of the can written vertically is the signature Leonard Cohen. The other works on the same wall are similar line drawings, a kleenex tissue box and a heater as well as a floor to ceiling enlargement of a photobooth photo strip of Cohen in his 40's. This work also marks a shift in the exhibition material from primarily photos and artifacts to paintings and drawings made by Cohen. End of Audio Description. Exhibition label text: Central to Cohen's personal taste and way of life was a deep attachment to everyday household objects, such as a table, chair, or mirror. There is a studied purpose to this still-life arrangement, with a can of paint thinner, a candlestick, a salt shaker, and a soda can forming a quartet of objects to which he has given his full attention. End of Exhibition label text.

We're all ears! Are you? As part of the Multisensory Art Cart, we invite you to find an artwork that inspires you to think about sound. You can use this curated audio playlist to accompany your journey through the AGO! Spend a few moments listening to the sounds in the playlist as you spend time with the artwork and consider: Do the sounds change the artwork? How does the audio affect your experience of looking at art? Did you discover anything new about the artwork?

We're all ears! Are you? As part of the Multisensory Art Cart, we invite you to find an artwork that inspires you to think about sound. You can use this curated audio playlist to accompany your journey through the AGO! Spend a few moments listening to the sounds in the playlist as you spend time with the artwork and consider: Do the sounds change the artwork? How does the audio affect your experience of looking at art? Did you discover anything new about the artwork?

We're all ears! Are you? As part of the Multisensory Art Cart, we invite you to find an artwork that inspires you to think about sound. You can use this curated audio playlist to accompany your journey through the AGO! Spend a few moments listening to the sounds in the playlist as you spend time with the artwork and consider: Do the sounds change the artwork? How does the audio affect your experience of looking at art? Did you discover anything new about the artwork?

We're all ears! Are you? As part of the Multisensory Art Cart, we invite you to find an artwork that inspires you to think about sound. You can use this curated audio playlist to accompany your journey through the AGO! Spend a few moments listening to the sounds in the playlist as you spend time with the artwork and consider: Do the sounds change the artwork? How does the audio affect your experience of looking at art? Did you discover anything new about the artwork?

We're all ears! Are you? As part of the Multisensory Art Cart, we invite you to find an artwork that inspires you to think about sound. You can use this curated audio playlist to accompany your journey through the AGO! Spend a few moments listening to the sounds in the playlist as you spend time with the artwork and consider: Do the sounds change the artwork? How does the audio affect your experience of looking at art? Did you discover anything new about the artwork?

We're all ears! Are you? As part of the Multisensory Art Cart, we invite you to find an artwork that inspires you to think about sound. You can use this curated audio playlist to accompany your journey through the AGO! Spend a few moments listening to the sounds in the playlist as you spend time with the artwork and consider: Do the sounds change the artwork? How does the audio affect your experience of looking at art? Did you discover anything new about the artwork?

We're all ears! Are you? As part of the Multisensory Art Cart, we invite you to find an artwork that inspires you to think about sound. You can use this curated audio playlist to accompany your journey through the AGO! Spend a few moments listening to the sounds in the playlist as you spend time with the artwork and consider: Do the sounds change the artwork? How does the audio affect your experience of looking at art? Did you discover anything new about the artwork?

We're all ears! Are you? As part of the Multisensory Art Cart, we invite you to find an artwork that inspires you to think about sound. You can use this curated audio playlist to accompany your journey through the AGO! Spend a few moments listening to the sounds in the playlist as you spend time with the artwork and consider: Do the sounds change the artwork? How does the audio affect your experience of looking at art? Did you discover anything new about the artwork?

We're all ears! Are you? As part of the Multisensory Art Cart, we invite you to find an artwork that inspires you to think about sound. You can use this curated audio playlist to accompany your journey through the AGO! Spend a few moments listening to the sounds in the playlist as you spend time with the artwork and consider: Do the sounds change the artwork? How does the audio affect your experience of looking at art? Did you discover anything new about the artwork?

We're all ears! Are you? As part of the Multisensory Art Cart, we invite you to find an artwork that inspires you to think about sound. You can use this curated audio playlist to accompany your journey through the AGO! Spend a few moments listening to the sounds in the playlist as you spend time with the artwork and consider: Do the sounds change the artwork? How does the audio affect your experience of looking at art? Did you discover anything new about the artwork?

We're all ears! Are you? As part of the Multisensory Art Cart, we invite you to find an artwork that inspires you to think about sound. You can use this curated audio playlist to accompany your journey through the AGO! Spend a few moments listening to the sounds in the playlist as you spend time with the artwork and consider: Do the sounds change the artwork? How does the audio affect your experience of looking at art? Did you discover anything new about the artwork?

We're all ears! Are you? As part of the Multisensory Art Cart, we invite you to find an artwork that inspires you to think about sound. You can use this curated audio playlist to accompany your journey through the AGO! Spend a few moments listening to the sounds in the playlist as you spend time with the artwork and consider: Do the sounds change the artwork? How does the audio affect your experience of looking at art? Did you discover anything new about the artwork?

We're all ears! Are you? As part of the Multisensory Art Cart, we invite you to find an artwork that inspires you to think about sound. You can use this curated audio playlist to accompany your journey through the AGO! Spend a few moments listening to the sounds in the playlist as you spend time with the artwork and consider: Do the sounds change the artwork? How does the audio affect your experience of looking at art? Did you discover anything new about the artwork?