Vancouver Art Gallery

As time goes on, I have very mixed feelings about this gallery. It is the biggest one in the city but no student membership is available. I used to be a member, and can no longer afford it. The entry fee is exorbitant so I bought a year-long entry pass to make up for it... I also wonder about the curation. I liked the recent ceramics exhibit but that's because I love ceramics! I felt underwhelmed by the others. My previous visits ~4-5 years ago felt stronger than recent exhibits. Bring in more classical/traditional work, in addition to contemporary, to balance things out. I mean beyond Emily Carr (who is great but shown constantly).

Lucky to catch the Jean Paul Riopelle exhibit featuring remarkable abstract work. His owl sculptures are intriguing as well. Local artist Emily Carr had an exhibit that was interesting. I also enjoyed the exhibit that showcased experimental artwork from the 60's. Overall, a fun & engaging visit. Definitely a highlight to my trip to Vancouver.

Loved this museum. Wonderful revolving exhibits from renowned artists. Nice mix of media and styles as well as local and international artists. Definite visit while in Vancouver.

Vancouver’s art gallery is really small, especially considering the $35 per person entry fee. I went because, well, at least Vancouver has an art gallery. But honestly, I wasn’t impressed. There wasn’t anything particularly interesting or unique. I couldn’t help but compare it to the art gallery in Toronto, where they had this interactive experience with small devices that tracked your heart rate and showed which art pieces impacted you the most. It was creative and engaging. One thing that would make the experience better is if they gave out a brochure or guide highlighting the must-see spots, like specific frames or important paintings. It would help visitors make the most of their visit. Another disappointing part is that the number of artworks seems to be decreasing. My friend mentioned that on his previous visit, there were more Emily Carr paintings displayed, but this time, there were noticeably fewer. It feels like the collection is shrinking rather than growing. Also, I was lucky enough to see the first floor during my last visit, but this time, it was under construction. It’s frustrating to pay full price when parts of the gallery are constantly closed off. I really wish the experience was better, especially since we’re paying taxes that support it.

The Vancouver Gallery is a nice space. I got the exhibits of Emily Carr and Jean-Paul Riopelle, two greats of Canadian art. I only wish they Gallery had more space. They could show more great artists.

Whenever we come to town we come here if there is an exhibit we are interested in. This time round it was an Emily Carr exhibit. We toured her house in Victoria last year, so this was perfect! They have storage lockers that you can leave your coats and such in.

Vancouver Art Gallery features so many mesmerizing art exhibitions. It is definitely a must visit for any fan of contemporary art. The gallery contians artwork created in so many different forms- Ceramics, traditional, abstract… Many of the exhibitions focused on thought-provoking statements on social issues and so on. I really enjoyed the work created by Emily Carr and how her exhibition was set up. There are plenty of amenities such as a gift shop, seating areas, and lockers guests can use free of charge. The gallery is very spacious- for in-depth visits I’d suggest giving yourself ~2 hours here. The location was very convenient. We were able to visit Pacific Centre in just 5 minutes and had lunch at Robson Square. Great experience!

Beautiful art but the main floor was mostly photography and history. Second floor has wonderful large paintings and the third floor was closed. A little overcrowded but we went on the free Friday of the month. The entire building is constantly shifting as if there is a never ending earthquake. I was slightly motion sick from the floor moving for the 2ish hours I was there

First off, there is no permanent collection at this art gallery. Secondly, it is not a cheap ticket price to enter at approx. thirty dollars a person. My girlfriend and I were done with the three levels, a few pieces to each level, in about one hour. Guess I should have gone on yelp to read some of the reviews instead of ending up with a lackluster experience. If you are a big fan of art and live in the area I highly recommend researching when it is free and only go on that day. But if you are in the area on vacation this is a hard pass. There is another art gallery within walking distance from here that is always free however there is basically two pieces in the whole building. One was just a bunch of white blocks shaped like a castle with no placards or notes on it. I don't know what they are going for here, but I would suggest lowering the price : / As always people SYOY!!!

Nice art gallery, it's always fun to visit once in a while and the building and architecture is beautiful. Usually not too busy but there is one day a month where you get free admission and the lineup to get in is crazy.

Nice artwork. I really like the new display. Look forward to visiting again soon. The first floor was still under construction when I visited. I will have to visit again once it's ready.

I have always loved visiting the Vancouver Art Gallery! Great way to spend an afternoon - I find the exhibits are always interesting and beautiful too. Biggest con is the price: $29/adult, which can add up quick. The year membership at the base tier is $60, which I have and recommend for anyone who likes to drop in often. I'd recommend attending a First Friday evening for complimentary admission, though it's always super busy then!

Very impressive! Spent half a day with the family checking out some of the most magnificent collection of art in one location. $29 for adults and children up to 18 year olds are free. Each floor, exhibit and featured art artist presented a unique array of creativity and life as you make your way through the gallery. After strolling through it all, we wrapped up at the lounge area for beer and wine to discuss our favorite pieces. For me, Denyce Thomasos's work I enjoyed the most.

I'm disappointed with this one! I was so looking forward to seeing the exhibits but I found them uninteresting. I went on a first friday of the month which is free. Glad I didn't pay $29 for this. I parked at the CF Centre underground which is $5 per half hour. Still ended up paying $15. There was a long line but it was quick once they were letting people in. The first floor was a display of weaving crafts by natives. The rest all the way to the 4th floor was photographs, paintings, words displayed on frames, all of which I do not understand and name of artists I have not heard of. Even the paintings never stood out for me. I wanted to learn to appreciate it for what it is even if the artists name is not familiar. It's as ordinary as those paintings I see displayed at Starbucks or coffee shops. Lots of security roaming each floor carefully watching everyone, guarding closely I don't know what. I was maybe expecting too much, like the museums in the US or Europe. I came cuz I saw it on one of a friend's instagram. I think it was a waste of my time!

Great groups of employees running this art gallery. Free coat check (donations welcome!) and we went during the day to avoid any of the evening rush. The gallery was smaller than I would have thought and in an older building.

A lovely place to pop in downtown. Three floors are dedicated to rotating exhibits. The monogram exhibit highlights Liechtenstein, Warhol, Ruscha and Twombly.

**Update 11/12/23** It pains me to downgrade my rating for the VAG, as I love art so, and I love supporting local museums and galleries. But something has definitely happened to the VAG since the pandemic - and not for the better. I have been an annual subscriber/member for quire a few years, and I've visited the museum quite a bit since I moved here in 2017. A bit over a year ago, they radically changed their annual membership fees and subscription levels. In a way, it was great, as an annual membership for an adult started at only $58 (way less than before). Sure, it didn't come with a lot of the perks that membership used to have (i.e., reciprocal admission privileges to other Canadian museums, guest passes, discounts at the museum store, etc), but kids under 18, I believe, can now visit for free, and there are other cool features to the new membership structuring, so I'm not complaining about that. Recently I received an email from VAG saying, if I renewed my membership early, I'd get a few nice perks (eg., a super cool new limited-edition membership card that featured some awesome artwork on it, some guest passes, maybe an extra month of membership even, I forget). Anyhow, it was a good deal, so I immediately renewed my membership online, paid the $58, and made a mental note to stop by the VAG when I was next downtown to pick up the cool new membership card. When I next visited the VAG and showed my online receipt to the folks at the membership counter, they said, oh, so sorry, we're all out of the special membership cards. I was really taken aback; when you pay for an item and/or service and your purchase is confirmed, isn't the item reserved for you? You bought it, after all! And that's the item that was advertised and promised. WTH. I know it's just a card, but it was super cool and that's what was advertised to me with the purchase of my annual membership. They never specified "while supplies last", or any other caveats. Honestly, I found it deceitful, to offer something and, after the customer pays, not to deliver. Bait and switch-like. I was so disappointed in the VAG. I expected more from them.

We visited on a First Friday so it was complimentary admission. There were a lot of different exhibitions to see. We enjoyed the layout of the museum; it was sensible and easy to navigate. The exhibitions were clearly labeled and had a flow. I really enjoyed Conceptions of White and all the art displayed in that section. Located close to our hotel and plenty of great restaurants.

Excellent. Art interesting and explanations really assisted in the pleasure of seeing it.

Every city I visit I must go to their art museum, I also read every possibly text on the wall. But it has been 40 mins and I'm already done with the whole place that's how small this place is, 30 dollars admission? NYC MOMA is so much bigger and has a million more exhibitions but not this ridiculously priced. Save urself a trip it's not worth it

I enjoyed my visit! I would suggest taking advantage of the free entry on the first Friday of the month (in the evening) or else it is a bit pricey but it is worth a visit if you are in the downtown area. #ContestEntry

Total ripoff! Over $70 to enter and most of the galleries are empty! Only 3 exhibits in a space that could house so much more! AVOID!

Definitely the worst art gallery experience I've ever had, but there were indications online I shouldve steered clear. One of the floors was shut down at the time, leaving three floors of art. However, one was just some weaving and an advertisement for the new gallery building, as well as documentation regarding some poorly conceived purchases of fraudulent art by the gallery. Another was some dull word art posters and an admittedly interesting display of paintings hung so that the horizon lines of all works were at eye level. The point of this kind of hanging is to recontextualize work, but this mainly decontextualized as artist information was confined to a menu you had to carry around. This would be fine if it was not the only significant art on display, but it was save the final floor of Emily Carr paintings. Totally fine, but more a small room than a proper gallery floor. All of this for greater than 30 CAD. You do expect to see some Canadian art in Canada, but as the gift shop full of the same full mass produced art tchotchkes every other art museum now buys in bulk attests, people want to see European and Asian art mainly. If you don't have a decent collection of what people really want to see, you have no business charging such exorbitant admission. All in all I didn't see anything I will remember here.

Really nice art museum in the heart of downtown. While the building is 3 floors, each floor is quite spacious and the current exhibits were a nice mix of local art, technology (on AI), and a children's exhibit. You may not see a lot of Van Goghs and Monets, but you will learn a lot about Canadian artists and some cool history as well. They offer portable folding chairs, which was a first, but there were plenty of seating areas as well. Overall, a great way to spend a couple of hours and experience Canadian artists.

I was hoping for a lot more from this museum experience. It's actually a rather small museum for a city of this size, and there weren't many exhibits when we visited. There was a private photography collection on exhibit, but I thought the quality of displays was mixed. There's an in-house restaurant, which is oddly like many museum restaurants, maybe better quality food, and the service was excellent. Overall, I was hoping for more out of the experience. Disappointing.

Nice museum in the heart of downtown Vancouver. There was some construction going on so the museum wasn't in full display. But I did get to see some wonderful artwork, also some I wasn't too fond of but that's okay. Overall I had a good experience and enjoyed the artwork I seen. Went to the gift shop and the cashier was rude. I did go in right before they were closing but I wanted to grab some items for keepsake.

The current exhibit when I visited was the modern in the making: Post-War craft and design in British Columbia. I found it interesting to see outfits, furniture, and items from the 1950's on display but it didn't really speak to me the way I had hoped. The other exhibits as well just didn't reach me or inspire me. It felt a bit regular. I had seen pictures of more interesting exhibits in the past. I'm still giving it a 5 stars because it was a beautiful museum and I did enjoy my time there. The museum itself is shaped as a circle so very easy to navigate. Everything is one way because of covid but it works well. I loved the double staircase in the beginning. If you visit on Tuesday nights (5-9pm) it's suggested donation and because of covid you need to buy the tickets online and it starts at $5. I'd recommend doing some research before visiting to make sure you will love the exhibit but otherwise visit on a Tuesday since it's so cheap. Staff is friendly and it wasn't very busy since it was a Tuesday night.

I am a first time visitor to this gallery. Expect to spend about 2 hours if you want to quickly see everything. If you are an art fan, then you'll need another hour of two in order to fully explore the galleries and exhibits. This galley does not have the more famous classical masters like Monet, Picasso, or Van Gogh. The current exhibitions and galleries are of a more modern flavor. This is good if you are into modern art. If you're seeking the classical masters, you'll need to explore them elsewhere.

Nice art museum - it was definitely a bit small, but the art itself was quite unique and well done. I particularly enjoyed the Artificial Intelligence exhibit. Overall for the amount of time it takes to see the whole museum, it's quite pricey, but a nice place overall!

Rihanna where are you? I heard RiRi was going to be here today so I rushed downtown to the Vancouver Art Gallery. Alright RiRis not here - but the dress she wore at the popular annual Met(Metropolitan Museum of Art) Gala in New York City, back in 2015 is on full display. Make sure you Google the other spectacular dresses she's worn over the years to the gala. Amazing! This dress on display now - weighs a whooping 25kgs! Ouch! Chinese designer Guo Pei has blown my mind with her design, vivid eye for detail, colours, texture & her ability to create magnificent & sensational dresses! GP has been on the fashion industry radar for awhile & her style has brought her outstanding kudos & awards worldwide. Time Magazine named her one of the most influential people. Guo Pei - Couture Beyond is a phenomenal mind blowing trip into fashion couture. VAG continues to impress with its continuing rotational displays - well done VAG!

I was thrilled to go to the art gallery with a friend last night! On Tuesdays, tickets are donation based, so we walked over and arrived about 5:10pm. There was already a line out the door and partially around the building... but it looked like we arrived just in time! I turned around a little later and the line was stretching further down the street. My advice, arrive as close to 5pm on Tuesdays as possible. The gallery has a "French Moderns" exhibit right now (through May 20, 2019) that spans the first floor. It's full of gorgeous impressionist paintings from Monet, Degas, Renoir, Mattise and more. I loved perusing the paintings - though it was rather crowded (imagine a busy Saturday and that's about what it was like people-wise). On the second floor was modern and post-modern art. There were several interactive pieces that you could stand in, sit on, etc. I enjoyed several of the modern pieces... and scratched my head over others. So basically, it was great! ;) They have a lovely gift shop featuring books, gifts, cards, and other odds and ends (like gardening supplies and umbrellas). There's also a cafe, but I didn't visit it at all. The Vancouver Art Gallery itself is gorgeous. I can't get over the building. It's SO beautiful, especially the exterior (which is probably why they film so many tv shows there!) and I could just stare at it all day from Robson Square. If you're looking for a fun, cultural evening, pop in to the art gallery... and if you'd rather spend less, go on a Tuesday at 5pm!

The recently concluded exhibitions of David Milne, Emily Carr, and the wonderfully titled 'Cabin Fever' about cabin life in North America, continue to make me appreciate the importance of this museum to Vancouver's cultural life. The current old building has too many shortcomings -- the lack of natural daylight being foremost -- for much of the art to be displayed properly. The low ceiling galleries for the Milne exhibition made lighting it difficult; lots of shadows. The paintings of Emily Carr -- of which many are infused with a spiritual celebration of light -- were sadly mounted in a tiny gallery by a noisy elevator. Reflective plexiglass made viewing them all the more challenging. I look forward to the day when a bigger and bolder building a few blocks east of this location becomes a reality.

Sadly, we were visiting before the Emily Carr exhibit began (not until September 30th). The exhibits change (no standing work), so your visit is likely dependent on what's on display.

Visited for the Murakami exhibit. Overall, we felt that the $24 admission fee was not worth it. The Murakami exhibit itself was pretty small (contrasting with the 2008 Brooklyn exhibit) and maybe half of the museum. Aside from the Murakami exhibit, there was the Emily Carr exhibit, what appeared to be a lot of construction, and that was it. The flow was also not obvious. Notes: - The museum seems really kid-friendly. Even before I saw that they have an event every Sunday afternoon for families. - There was a Chinese language tour going on. The group was very small so I thought it was a private tour. I really don't understand why the curator had to stand right in front of the artwork (where the line is drawn) for an extended period of time. Way to ruin the experience for other people. I got tired of waiting for her to move. - I would've tried to buy tickets on Costco.ca but the site was down on Sunday morning. It's $34.99/2 tickets there. It's for the Murakami exhibit but since you don't need special tickets for that exhibit, the deal is good for any museum entry.

Went to the Vancouver art gallery last week. It's a beautiful building. One of the floors (top floor) is closed for remodeling. The exhibit on the main floor was kinda boring. I guess just not my cup of tea when it comes to art. Was mostly French style art of time period pieces. Now second floor was amazing. All about architectural unique cabins. Cabin Porn as they call it. Awesome designs and renderings. Next floor was art created by lighting. Very cool! The lobby has a great gift store as well. Lots of cool stuff to buy. Check it out!

I lucked out and there was a brand new Monet exhibit when I was here. That's terrific because I'm a big fan of his work and have a good few prints on the walls at home. There must be at least 35 or so of his works, neatly spaced so that you can take time with each one and not be overwhelmed or crowded in. I also spent a bit of time on the upper floors where there were some photography exhibits and then a gallery of odd "contemporary" art that always goes over my head. Well worth the admission and the gift shop had plenty.

Came here on a recent visit to this beautiful city. I was mostly interested in seeing the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami exhibit: An Octopus Eats its Own Leg. This exhibit didn't differ too much from his other exhibit at the Broad Museum in Los Angeles. His grand gesture to the art world is greatly appreciated with his wild use of color and whimsical characters. The lower level of the museum displays a wide array of paintings, sketches and sculptures. Be sure not to miss Canadian's own Emily Carr's collection of paintings. Overall, this was a nice experience and one that I would recommend. Come Tuesdays between 5-9pm for free admission.

Came with a friend since they got a free ticket. I don't think I've ever considered myself a fan of art galleries just because I don't know how to slow down, read and enjoy each piece the artists presents. I enjoyed the Takashi Murakami exhibit the most of the three floors that were there as it seemed the most relevant to the modern times and it had the most vibrant colours but still, there's probably a lot more behind the bright colours than one assumes. Overall, it wasn't a bad experience but it can get really crowded over the weekend especially when other people are also here on the weekend to see the same thing and there were a lot of photo takers on this floor so you have to work around them a little.

I would recommend coming here with friends on a warm sunny day and sit outdoors for some light snacks. My cousin and I went to the patio during happy hour and had the $1 oysters. The patio is beautiful, and the oysters tasted fresh. We did have to go elsewhere and have some real dinner afterwards.

The last time I went to the Vancouver art gallery was in elementary school, so it's been a long time since I've been back. I'm not too into art, but my friend really wanted to see the new Guo Pei exhibit, so we went on a Friday afternoon. Admission is $18, which seems like a fair price to pay, but they do have discounts on Tuesdays. First of all, the Guo Pei exhibit was gorgeous and really well done. All the dresses were so well made, and the intricate details were so fascinating. Just imagining the hours of work that went into each outfit was unbelievable. (and you can see the famous Rihanna dress!) Of course, there is also alot of art on the second and third floors, but I wasn't that interested so we just did a quick walk-through. However if you are really interested in Canadian art it might be a great way to spend an afternoon!

Every Tuesday 5-9pm is donation admission night. It was perfect place to cool down and enjoy the art. If you have a backpack, you can leave it at coat check for free.

I like the building the gallery is in. It is an old building (former courthouse in neoclassical style) built in 1905, as told by a staff member, but with updates i.e. elevator. The main art exhibits (highlight) change frequently, 3-4 times a year. Unfortunately the collection is not extensive. There are four levels of different exhibits with different mediums. If you are an art lover, it will make sense to get the annual (VIP) pass. It comes with 2 free guest passes as well as a 10% discount at the gift shop. On Tuesday evening, the VAG has a "by donation" entrance. Do that if you have time to kill. The line can stretch around the block if it is a popular exhibit. No fun to wait in the cold. If you have been to other galleries and museums elsewhere which are bigger or grander, the VAG will not really wow you.

I'm not particularly interested in art and art galleries, but it was one of the attractions I could see using my Inspiration Pass and I was in the downtown area, so I decided to check it out. The feature exhibit was "Picasso: The Artist and His Muses", and was about Picasso and the six significant, and progressively younger, women in his life. I didn't know much about Picasso, and it was quite interesting learning about his relationships. Because I'm not interested in art, I can't say I love the VAG, but it seems like a good place for people who do like art. I just wouldn't pay $24, unless it was an exhibit I was very interested in. (My sister and I saw the da Vinci exhibit in 2010, but we were able to get the student rate, and I'm sure prices were cheaper then.)

On donation Tuesday this place is worth a visit if you are in the downtown area on a rainy day or just a local art lover. The art gallery is four stories high and has different features for each level. I've been to a few art galleries and this one was structurally beautiful with the many floors however it was still very crowded. I spent one hour exploring the art and walking through the exhibits. I wasn't very impressed with the art displayed as I more enjoy looking at sculpture pieces more than paintings. I would suggest checking it out if it's a Tuesday (be prepared for lines) and if the weather isn't cooperating.

MashUp - The Birth of Modern Culture exhibition at the Van Art Gallery is simply amazing. Bring the whole family. Everyone will enjoy it for sure whether you're male or female, young or old, art lover or not. The way Valenti defined feminism and how Marcel Duchamp distinguishes reality from mere replicas and reproductions. I thought they were both entertaining and funny. I heard that there are guided tours on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from half hour to an hour. You can avail of the MashUp coffee table book at the Van Art Gallery bookstore for $86 after taxes.

Really great gallery in the heart of Vancouver. Worth the price of admission. Interesting pieces and art to learn from and enjoy.

One of the main reasons why I like this art gallery is because the whole process from beginning to end is straight forward. This place isn't a maze like most of the galleries I've been to and there's just a few selections of artists. It's not doing too much which is great! I'm also happy I got to witness Picasso's paintings in person before they remove his show this Oct. it was sensational learning and reading about his art pieces.

On a rainy recent Saturday, our first full day in Vancouver, we thought the Vancouver Art Museum a perfect place to spend the afternoon. Apparently, a good portion of Vancouver thought the same way, as there were long lines to get tickets and even check our coats. Turns out the museum was in the last weeks of a Picasso exhibit and no one wanted to miss out. Looking to avoid the throngs of people, we started at the top floor. An Emily Carr exhibit was there and we greatly admired her work, evocative paintings of first nation totem poles and deep forest. Also on hand was a large photography exhibit we stepped through, before working our way down to the first floor for Picasso. The Picasso exhibit was rather interesting. It focused on the various women in his life, and how they influenced his paintings during these periods. We caught part of an excellent tour of the exhibit is well. Had to admire the architecture of the museum. A former courthouse, it still retains the elegant bones of its courthouse days, an interesting contrast to the modern art within. Definitely food for the camera! Great museum and easy walking distance from a number of points in Vancouver. Definitely recommended.

Well is it worth the price of admission, No. Aside from seeing some nice pieces by Emily Carr the rest was underwhelming.

Yawn. Can we move beyond Emily Carr. Vancouver needs to de-commercialise art badly. The $29 price is absurd for what is essentially a village museum. There are real museums with Rembrandts that don't charge rates like that. Grow up Vancouver! This museum is a poor reflection of your grandeur. A city's art museum's aim is to exhibit, and spread culture, not to pilfer tourists.

We looked at local talent in a special unit off the main gallery. New or little known artists can rent out their work monthly or be sold direct to buyers from Vancouver Art Gallery. I checked out 200 or so. Pics below. Main gallery is as wonderfully presented as always. A jewel of city's cultural scene. Recommended.

This was a harsh experience. I've recently been fortunate to take in some truly world class galleries lately including the Tate, the National Gallery, the Louvre, MOMA...but to say that the Vancouver Art Gallery falls far short of these isn't saying enough. The Vancouver Art Gallery, in its centrally visible classical architecture, is objectively poorly served with a less than mediocre curation of art, local or otherwise. Oh sure there are some gems. The 4th floor Emily Carr works and First Nations crafts display but a small taste of classically Canadian aesthetic accomplishment, but in order to get there you have to work through in ascending order the mediocrity and self-indulgence of the lower floors. The feature gallery on the 1st floor at the entrance was a bit of a punch in the face featuring the narcissism of Cindy Sherman. Above on the 2nd and 3rd floors are the most spectacularly uninteresting collection of exhibits - works presented in dull light, amateurish achievements, and downright bizarre compilations that resonate little. And I suspect I'm not alone as I scan the faces of discouraged patrons wandering through the square corridors. At a $24 price tag, this is far too much for far too little inspiration. I'm glad I got a discount from Expedia. My hope is that this is not a sign of what's to come in what inhabits the impressively designed new building, but I would give the current rotation of artwork a hard pass. I'm really sorry but Vancouver deserves better.

My second time here and still loved it just as much!!! There were 4 floors of different exhibitions - specifically enjoyed Monet/Matisse on the first floor :) We visited during the donations Tuesday so there was a long line waiting to get in. But well worth!!!

You know how art makes you FEEL? Feel good? Happy? Amazed and passionate, or even upset or heartbroken? I left this gallery today feeling uncomfortable and a little sick. This is the Vancouver Art Gallery and the collections in there are a ridiculous waste of time and money. Whoever Cindy Sherman is, she spent a lot of time and effort to fill a gallery with bad pictures of herself. Some pictures are jarring and disturbing, mock nudity and clip on pubic hair. Clip on a fake pillow breast and call it a "statement". The first floor is the main gallery space, filled with room after room of Cindy Sherman. It's much larger (by 70% at least) than floors 3 and 4. Floor 2 was not accessible, and in development. Floors 3 and 4 were very small exhibits, walked through in under a few short minutes. One exhibit is a wall of t shirts, which for most people makes zero sense. I go to Oahu a lot and know how special these shirts are there locally... but they're Hawaiian t shirts in Canada. Next to that was a cubicle. Everything felt disjointed, and I wondered to myself how only a handful of artists got their art in this major city gallery. The most colorful thing in this gallery was the tshirt wall and the postcard wall in the gallery gift shop. Everything else, including Emily Carr, was sad, dark, poorly lit. I FELT horrible, let down and disappointed by the art. I spent nearly $50 and was out of there in under half an hour. I want to mention how they treat people with kids and strollers. From the moment I tried to enter with my two year old toddler with his stroller and diaper bag, I felt unwelcome. We took him out to take off his puffy winter coat, and they told us he needed to be in the stroller at all times. Then they tried to take his diaper bag away and his stroller (to put in coat check) because he was no longer in his stroller. I was firm that I was keeping all of my belongings with me. They even asked me to coat check my covered iced coffee. What??! I had to chug it before entering. I get inside and while trying to get past the Cindy Sherman show, I had my son in tow, walking calmly holding my husbands hand. The moment I realized that every piece was this woman's self portraits, we rounded a corner and a security woman rushed us and said that my son needs to be in his stroller. Am I going start a wrestle match with my kid right here so he can scream his head off while we walk through a gallery? NOPE. I told her that he's just standing there holding my husbands hand. She said that he might walk up and damage the paintings, there's just tape on the floor. I say that that's why we're holding his hand, and we're trying to get out of this collection right now. She told us to be careful, then proceeded to follow us to the elevator. No joke, hustled along beside us. When we got to the third floor, there was another security person who followed us around, despite all of the small Emily Carr paintings being well out of reach. They followed us til we got to the elevator. At this point my husband was vocally angry that we were being stalked through this gallery with hideous, sparse art. We get to the 4th floor, with the t shirts and the cubicle and the family photos. Again, security is watching us, not in a corner or against a wall, but standing in the middle of the room with his eyes on my son who, at this point was so freaked out by security following that he was holding onto my husbands leg. This floor was just as small as the 3rd, and equally sparse. On our way around back to the elevator, a different security guard followed behind us until we were in the elevator. I felt like some sort of target, victim, stereotype for just having a child in the most not-kid-friendly museum in the world. Whoever curated this gallery did it with NO KIDS in mind, which is so sad for the children of Vancouver. There's no inspiration or joy here, just frightening Cindy Sherman's pubic patch and Hawaiian t shirts. From the outside, this is a beautiful major city art gallery. On the inside, it's tiny and underutilized and overpriced. The wall of painted cards gallery shop is more interesting and colorful than the entire gallery combined. Save your money. Read the reviews - the Vag charges more than the Louvre.

Wow.. my friends and I toured the gallery this week.. to sum up our impression, we all felt we needed a few stiff drinks afterwards to wash off the sense that we had just been fleeced. I have no problem paying for quality presentations, but to pay and then wander through floor after floor of grade school quality projects left us all feeling like someone had rubbed sandpaper on our inner sensibilities and just left us raw... and not in a good way. I'm no troglodyte, have degrees from two major Universities, and have seen art.. just not at the VAG. Now where's that drink..

For a local art museum, or, if you've never visited an art museum before, the Vancouver Art Gallery isn't bad. On the other hand, if you've visited a museum (any museum at all) in a moderately large city and especially if you've been to any of the big names (Art Institute of Chicago or the Metropolitan Museum of Art, for example), prepare to be underwhelmed. The museum is quite small especially when you consider that Vancouver is a decently sized city. There are no "show-pieces" in their collection but on occasion the do land higher profile exhibits. As expected, they have a large collection of Canadian artists but, in my opinion, no pieces that merit repeated visits to the museum. Unless there's a large, special exhibit, you get a discounted admission fee, or if you've never visited before, the time and money you'd spend here could probably be put to better, more enjoyable use elsewhere.

I haven't been to the art gallery in awhile and decided to check it out one rainy and cold fall day. This place is quite busy with people and the environment is nice. There are a lot of staff to help you if your lost or looking for a particluar collection. The art gallery has their staple exhibits such as Emily Carr but they also have guest collections. I really enjoyed the Black paintings by Gordon Smith. The contemporary Canadian paintings were interesting and led to great discussions. The gallery also hosts Fuse family events for kids as well as Fuse events catered to adults. The gift store is pretty cool and definitely a place to stop by in the end.