Art Gallery of Ontario scores donation of more than 450 artworks

Contents of the article

The Art Gallery of Ontario says it has received a donation of more than 450 works of art, including works by pop titans Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and David Hockney.

Contents of the article

The find of contemporary works belongs to the family of late Toronto art patrons Carol and Morton Rapp.

Contents of the article

Contents of the article

It consists mainly of prints, drawings and photographs from the late 1960s and 1970s and the first decades of the 21st century.

Gallery CEO and director Stefan Jost said highlights of the exhibition included 13 Warhol screenprints, including four portraits of Marilyn Monroe.

Lichtenstein's three works on paper include a 1965 silkscreen in his signature comic book-inspired style.

Yost says the donation is “extremely significant” and expects it to be available for public viewing in about two years.

“This is one of the most transformative gifts we have received in the last couple of decades,” Yost said.

Contents of the article

Contents of the article

He singled out Warhol's bold yellow-and-red silkscreen from 1967, which he expects will be a crowd pleaser when it eventually makes its way into the AGO exhibition.

“It's a good day when someone gives you 13 Andy Warhol works. And the nice thing is, a lot of them are super iconic, like Marilyn Monroe,” he said.

“It's something you see all the time, like pop art where Marilyn Monroe looks like a drag queen. When you get a series of images like that, it becomes iconic – people walk in and say, 'I've seen that before!' And it's cool.”

Yost also pointed to Lichtenstein's 1965 silkscreen titled “Pow Sweet Dreams Baby (C 39) from the 11 Pop Artist Series” as a notable addition and a quintessential image of the era.

“He's someone who basically takes cartoons and pop art, zooms in, takes a picture, and then updates it. And the great one is 'Sweet Dreams Baby'… it's just 60s.”

Contents of the article

Yost also likes a 1998 print by British artist Yinka Shonibare called “Diary of a Victorian Dandy, 7:00 p.m.” In this photo, a black aristocrat with a cane stands proudly in the center of a group of white partygoers gathered in a stately home.

“One of the things it does is recreate life in the 18th century, but insert people of African descent into those narratives … to help us understand the relationships between class, productivity, gender and race,” Yost said.

Other donated treasures include nine works by American artist Jasper Johns and four early works by English art giant Hockney. In total, the donation included works by 203 artists, including several portfolios.

The Rapps were longtime advocates of the arts, and their son-in-law Jay Smith, an AGO trustee, said the couple also donated works to the National Gallery of Canada, the Ontario Institute for Educational Research and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Contents of the article

However, they were particularly supportive of the AGO, and Yost said they contributed greatly to the cultural fabric of Toronto and the gallery.

“They showed up at every event, and it wasn't just fashion events,” he said.

“They were just always saying yes to the world, right? And I think that's probably what I like about them. And they loved modern art. They loved to learn.”

Morton, who died in September 2024, made a name for himself with his auto parts chain and distribution centers, while Carol, who died in July 2023, was an active AGO volunteer since the 1960s. She has served on several committees and held positions including Vice President of the Board of Trustees from 1997 to 2000 and Chairman Emeritus from 2001 to 2002.

Yost said the couple took great care of their collection, even taking it into account when they remodeled their Forest Hill home in a modern, minimalist style that could display valuable items while protecting them from damaging light.

“We're going to make it look great because Carol and Mort were special people,” he said.

Contents of the article