McMichael Canadian Art Collection to Close for Landmark Redevelopment
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
The Kleinburg gallery, set on 40 hectares of wooded land, will shut its doors for up to three years to undergo a $150-million expansion.
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection will temporarily close to the public on the evening of July 26, according to CBC Toronto. The Kleinburg gallery sits on 40 hectares of wooded conservation land overlooking the East Humber River Valley. The closure marks the beginning of a transformative redevelopment of the gallery's building and grounds, the first major investment in the site in over four decades.
The site, once the private home of Robert and Signe McMichael, serves as the largest Canadian museum dedicated exclusively to Canadian and Indigenous art. Its grounds also house a cemetery where the founders and six members of the Group of Seven are buried among chunks of the Canadian Shield.
Led by Hariri Pontarini Architects, the project is expected to run from fall 2026 through 2029. According to CBC Toronto, the redevelopment will add 60 per cent more space for public programming, education, conservation, and exhibitions. The plan includes the addition of state-of-the-art studios, classrooms, and purpose-built spaces for dining, concerts, and lectures.
The estimated $150-million project is funded through private donations, a $25-million commitment from the federal government's Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program, and up to $50 million pledged by the Ontario government over three years. While the physical site in Kleinburg will be unavailable, CBC Toronto notes that much of the collection—which includes nearly 8,000 works by artists such as Tom Thomson, Norval Morrisseau, and Kent Monkman—will remain accessible via touring exhibitions.