TORONTO — The Group of Seven are some of Canada’s most beloved artists. Their works imagine, in paint, a country of ancient lakes and woods, Arctic vistas, and the magic of the northern lights. To mark Group of Seven Day, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) will open especially on Monday, July 7, and invites Ontarians of all ages and abilities to take an artistic journey into nature.

This is the first time the AGO will celebrate Group of Seven Day. In 2024, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario passed the Group of Seven Day Act, officially designating July 7th as a day to celebrate and honor the Group of Seven artists and their contributions to Canadian art.

“To immerse yourself in the art and ideals of the Group of Seven is to be transported. The Group of Seven has been a foundational part of the AGO since 1920, when the museum hosted their inaugural exhibition. Their legacy lives on at the AGO not only in the great art we share but in the many contributions members of the group made to the AGO during their respective lifetimes —as donors, educators, and advocates for other Canadian artists. We welcome everyone to discover their enduring art and ambition,” says Stephan Jost, Michael and Sonja Koerner Director, and CEO, Art Gallery of Ontario.

“The Group of Seven were true pioneers and artistic visionaries who captured the raw, natural beauty of Ontario’s landscapes like none before,” said Stan Cho, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming. “Our government is proud to honour their legacy and formally recognize their contribution with Group of Seven Day. Now more than ever, it’s important to celebrate our history, our culture, and our homegrown talent. I encourage everyone to visit the AGO and experience firsthand the brilliance of these iconic works.”

Founded by a group of like-minded Toronto artists, the Group of Seven believed that direct contact with nature was essential to the establishment of a uniquely Canadian style of painting. Using bold brushstrokes, vivid colours, and stylized forms, they created expressive landscapes, inspired by their travels across Canada and the Arctic. Despite initial skepticisms from critics and audiences, by the 1930s their works were celebrated internationally.

Today, their artistic vision is on full view at the AGO, with 204 works by various members on display, including Lawren Harris’ Mountains in Snow: Rocky Mountain Paintings VII (c.1929), Franklin Carmichael’s Cranberry Lake (1931), A.Y. Jackson’s The St. Lawrence in Winter (c. 1931), Frank ( Franz) Johnston’s Woodland Tapestry, Algoma (1919), Arthur Lismer’s Little Island, MacGregor Bay (1929), J.E.H. MacDonalds’ Mountain Ash (Rowanberries) (1922), and F. H. Varley’s Sunrise, Sphinx Glacier, Garibaldi Park (1927).

A walk through the Thomson Collection of Canadian Art on Level 2 offers visitors the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the Group, to see sketches and finished oils side by side. Level 1 of the AGO boasts signature works and works by the Group’s peers, including Emily Carr, Yvonne McKague Housser, Sarah Roberston and Tom Thomson.

Facts about the Group of Seven:

• Founded in 1920, membership in the Group of Seven evolved during its existence to include 10 artists in total: Franklin Carmichael, A.J. Casson, Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald, Lawren Harris, Edwin Holgate, A. Y. Jackson, Frank (Franz) Johnston, Arthur Lismer, J.E.H. MacDonald, and F.H. Varley.
• The AGO, then known as the Art Gallery of Toronto, hosted their first exhibition in May 1920. At that exhibition, only 5 of the 121 works on view were sold.
• While now famous for their landscapes, at the first exhibition of their work in 1920, on view were bold Algoma-inspired landscapes, portraits, urban scenes, garden views, and works produced for Canadian War Memorials.
• The Group of Seven officially disbanded in 1933. Many of its remaining members went on to form the influential Canadian Group of Painters.
• Emily Carr was made an honourary member of the Group of Seven in 1927 and bequeathed the title ‘Mother of Modern Art in Canada’ by them.
• Arthur Lismer and F.H. Varley were both born in Sheffield, England and attended the Sheffield School of Art. Lismer was instrumental in convincing Varley to move to Canada.
• An international leader in art education, Arthur Lismer led the establishment of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Gallery School and began the tradition of Saturday morning art classes for children.
• Plein-air painting enthusiasts, many of the Groups’ most famous artworks began as small sketches made in nature. These sketches would then be transported back to the artists’ studios to serve as inspiration for larger, finished paintings. Where it can, the AGO displays both the original sketch and the finished painting.

Admission to the AGO is always free for Ontarians under 25, Indigenous Peoples, AGO Members, and Annual Passholders. For more information on how to become a Member or Annual Passholder, visit ago.ca/membership/become-a-member.

For more information about the Group of Seven at the AGO, visit ago.ca/collection/group-of-seven-ago.

Programming highlights:

On Monday, July 7, visitors of all ages are invited to try their hand at self-guided still life drawing, as the AGO brings Algonquin Park to Walker Court for Group of Seven Day: Postcard from the woods. Free with General Admission, all materials included – even the canoe! The museum is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more details, visit ago.ca/events/group-seven-day-postcard-woods

On Monday, July 7, beginning at 10:30 a.m. and continuing throughout the day, AGO Gallery Guides will be hosting pop-up Art Chats about the Group of Seven and will be on hand to answer questions from visitors. Look for them in the Thomson Collection of Canadian Art on Level 2.

shopAGO makes it easy to bring the Group of Seven home with you, with their curated selection of Group of Seven-inspired merchandise, including books, mugs, prints, ornaments, and apparel. Available in store and online, visit shop.ago.ca/category/119/734/group-of-seven/

Hungry after that walk through the woods? The AGO’s Espresso Bar on Level 1 will be serving up Maple Butter Tart gelato between 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. For more details about dining options, visit ago.ca/visit/dine/bistro.

@AGOToronto | #SeeAGO

ABOUT THE GROUP OF SEVEN
In the early 1910s, Ontario artists Franklin Carmichael, Lawren Harris, A. Y. Jackson, Franz Johnston, Arthur Lismer, J. E.H. MacDonald, and F.H. Varley began painting, both alone and together, in the rural outskirts of Toronto. Over time, they headed north to paint Algonquin Park, and the Algoma region on the north shore of Lake Superior.

Breaking from the traditional Academic painting styles of the time, their shared ambition was to pursue a more expressive, experimental art—one that was distinctly Canadian. Their romanticized renderings of nature rarely include imagery of humans. In their quest for authentic and spiritual experiences within nature, they positioned Canada as an unspoiled, uninhabited country despite the presence of Indigenous communities and industry throughout the regions they visited.

Interrupted by the First World War and personal tragedies, it was not until 1920 that these artists came together in Toronto to exhibit their work under the name Group of Seven. The Group remained active throughout the 1920s exhibiting across Canada and internationally. The Group evolved and officially disbanded in 1933, but their ambition and the beauty of their work have made them enduring symbols of Canada.

To learn more about the Group of Seven at the AGO, visit ago.ca/collection/group-of-seven-ago

ABOUT THE AGO 
Located in Toronto, the Art Gallery of Ontario is one of the largest art museums in North America, attracting approximately one million visitors annually. The AGO Collection of more than 120,000 works of art ranges from cutting-edge contemporary art to significant works by Indigenous and Canadian artists to European masterpieces. The AGO presents wide-ranging exhibitions and programs, including solo exhibitions and acquisitions by diverse and underrepresented artists from around the world. The AGO is embarking on the seventh expansion project undertaken since it was founded in 1900. When completed the Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery will increase exhibition space for the museum’s growing modern and contemporary collection and reflect the people who call Toronto home. With its groundbreaking Annual Pass program, the AGO is one of the most affordable and accessible attractions in the GTA. Visit ago.ca to learn more.

The AGO is funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming. Additional operating support is received from the City of Toronto, the Canada Council for the Arts, and generous contributions from AGO Members, donors, and private-sector partners.