The McMichael Canadian Art Collection has a unique mandate to celebrate the art of Canada, which it does within a great building in beautiful grounds overlooking the Humber River Valley.

Originally a home completed in 1954 for entrepreneur Robert McMichael and his wife Signe, the building became an unofficial gallery when they began allowing passers-by and school parties inside to view their art collection. In 1965 they took the visionary step of donating their home, collection and land to the Province of Ontario and in 1966 the McMichael officially opened to the public.

The permanent collection now consists of over 6,400 artworks. The iconic Canadian landscape artist Tom Thomson (1877-1917) features prominently, as do his colleagues the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. Historic and contemporary Indigenous art accounts for over a third of the total collection and is celebrated in the Gallery's dynamic exhibition program.

Here, Ian Dejardin's personal selection of highlights offers a revelatory opportunity to engage with the essence of Canada as portrayed in the luminous works of its artists.