The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is just one of those places that never gets old. As I’m sure you’re aware, I can’t get enough of good spiral staircases and the Frank Gehry design at the AGO is one of the best I’ve ever seen. It’s made of this beautiful Douglas Fir; the color is incredible, the striations of the wood compelling (particularly in black & white!) and its many levels and irregular spiral make for loads of photo ops!
Today I’m sharing the black & white versions from our workshop stop in July. Rest assured I did most in color as well and there are many more versions of this beauty from previous visits here.
Before we get to the staircase, here’s one shot from the exterior. Far more difficult to photography than the staircase!

Like much of his architecture, he incorporates glass with wood and steel beams (when he’s not using his signature stainless steel, which you might be familiar with from the Bilbao Guggenheim and Walt Disney Concert Hall, among others). Often his exteriors have a sail-like curvature. If you’re familiar with Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, which he also designed, this has a similar feel but on a much smaller scale. Also interesting to note, Frank Gehry’s hometown is Toronto and he visited the AGO often with his grandparents, who lived very close by. This museum renovation was his first Toronto commission.
Now, onto that staircase! The first two shots, and the header image, are from the ground floor looking up.


The next two from near the top floor.


And then from the top looking down. Harder to get when you’re on the short side like me as the banisters are quite high.