Photo: Pierre André · CC BY-SA 4.0
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National Gallery of Canada
Art museum · Ottawa
Canada's national art museum since 1880, in Moshe Safdie's 1988 building, with a Louise Bourgeois spider outside
Why go to National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada was established in 1880, when its collection held a single landscape painting. Its current home, designed by architect Moshe Safdie, opened in May 1988 on Sussex Drive in the ByWard Market area. The granite and glass building takes cues from the Gothic Revival Parliament Buildings nearby, and its glass atrium looks out over Parliament and the Ottawa River.
The collection now numbers more than 87,000 works of Indigenous, Canadian and international art, spanning over 5,000 years. Inside, visitors can walk through the interior of the Rideau Street Chapel, which was taken apart in 1,123 pieces and rebuilt in the gallery in 1988. Outside the entrance stands a bronze spider by Louise Bourgeois about nine metres high. The gallery is open year-round, and Destination Ontario suggests buying tickets online in advance.
Did you know?
In the press
Where
380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON K1N 9N4
Eat & drink nearby
North & NavyNortheastern Italian · Centretown, Ottawa1.4 km100 Best #95Website preview: northandnavy.com
Buvette DaphnéeQuebec wine bar · ByWard Market, Ottawa0.6 km100 Best #97Best New #8Website preview: buvettedaphnee.ca
Outdoors nearby
Rideau CanalHistoric canal · Ottawa, ON0.6 kmUNESCO World HeritagePhoto: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY-SA 2.5
Trans Canada TrailTrail network · Ottawa, ON1.1 kmPhoto: Larry from Charlottetown, PEI, Canada · CC BY 2.0
Things to do nearby
Canadian War MuseumWar museum · Ottawa2.0 kmPhoto: Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada · CC BY 2.0
