AGO to Display 31 Historic Picture Frames Without Paintings in 'In Plain Sight'

Thirty-one frames spanning the 15th to early 20th centuries will go on view at the Art Gallery of Ontario on October 17, 2026, in an exhibition titled In Plain Sight: Highlights from the AGO's Collection of Historic Frames. The Toronto museum holds North America's largest institutional collection of historic picture frames, and the show draws on that holding to spotlight the craftsmanship surrounding artworks rather than the works themselves. Frames produced in England, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands are included, arranged by period and regional style. The presentation takes place in the Leonard Rotunda on Level 1, where the frames are displayed boldly without accompanying pictures. Three AGO staff members co-curate: Eric Birkle, Marie Zimmermann Curatorial Fellow in European Art; Julia Campbell-Such, Assistant Conservator, Frames; and Adam Harris Levine, Associate Curator of European Art. The exhibition marks a rare museum treatment of frames as objects of independent aesthetic interest.