Winnipeg Art Gallery

A point of interest on the Winnipeg's Wealthy Beginnings GPS-guided audio walking tour.

Press play & listen to the tour audio!

Audio Transcript:

​

If you take a look across the street, you'll see Winnipeg’s Art Gallery, or, affectionately, The WAG.

It's very artistic and imaginative looking, don't you think?

​

Well, there's a reason for that! What do you do when the only space available to build on is a triangle? You design an Art Gallery that represents an iceberg, of course! And then you clad it in limestone from a quarry just north of the city to be even more representative of Manitoba.

​

The WAG is Canada’s oldest civic art gallery. And home of the world’s largest Inuit art collection.

And if that isn't fun enough, the WAG also hosts Jazz on the Rooftop evenings throughout the summer. Art, live entertainment, great food and a view! How wonderful is that!

​

Winnipeg has always had a love for art. Our first official gallery opened in 1892 in the Manitoba Hotel. The hotel, sadly, burned to the ground in 1899. But in 1912, Winnipeg's Museum of Fine Arts opened, displaying 275 works from the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

​

Quite a jump to the 26,000 pieces to admire at the WAG today! And almost 20,000 of those works have been donated! Just saying ... Winnipeg loves art!

More Tours Nearby