Look straight ahead for a grand neoclassical building with tall columns, a domed roof, and a pair of stone lions flanking its wide steps-congratulations, you’ve found the Vancouver Art Gallery!
Welcome to one of Vancouver’s true icons-though today you’re standing outside a world-class art museum, this mighty structure actually started life in 1911 as the city’s provincial courthouse. Imagine walking up these marble steps, past those silent granite lions, but instead of seeing Picasso or Emily Carr, you’d be whispering to your lawyer and hoping for a lenient judge. The moment feels almost dramatic enough to cue the sound of a wooden gavel. This building was designed by Francis Rattenbury, the same architect behind Victoria’s grand Parliament Buildings-he sure loved making a statement! He made sure every inch would impress: porticos, Ionic columns, ornate stonework, and marble from Alaska, Tennessee, and Vermont.
Let’s fast forward a few decades: If you were here in the 1930s, you’d have seen men in worn coats, gathered on the steps in protest, their voices echoing between the stone lions during the tough years leading up to what Vancouver calls "Bloody Sunday." Amazingly, when a group of unemployed protesters occupied the gallery, not a single painting was harmed, though nervous curators must have held their breath every second!
In the 1940s, a blast of dynamite shook the rear of the western lion-windows rattled all around Georgia Street, some folks thought the city was under attack! The rear of the lion had to be carved anew, and to this day, eagle-eyed visitors can spot the join where craftsman patched the damage. The lions have seen drama and sunshine, and-judging by the number of people snapping photos on a sunny day like today-maybe even a bit of embarrassment during the odd flash mob or zombie walk.
You’re now standing outside not just a slab of history, but the largest art museum in Western Canada, spanning over 15,000 square meters and holding about 12,000 works inside. It became the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1983, after spectacular renovations by architect Arthur Erickson. The transformation from courthouse to gallery was part of a grand scheme to reinvent Robson Square; a network of passageways even connects the gallery underground to the rest of the square.
Today, half of the museum’s collection is by Western Canadian artists and features legends like Emily Carr, whose wild West Coast forests and stormy skies fill the walls. In fact, the museum holds over 250 of her works-so many that sometimes staff joke Carr’s ghost might wander the halls if someone ever moved a painting out of order. You’ll also find beautiful First Nations artwork, with carvings, totems and contemporary pieces by renowned artists like Robert Davidson or Bill Reid. The collection includes everything from haunting photographs to vibrant Asian art, and sometimes even a mystery or two-like the time the gallery discovered ten supposed Group of Seven paintings were, in fact, clever forgeries!
One of the most unique things about the Vancouver Art Gallery is how it pulses with the life of the city. On these stairs, crowds have gathered for Olympic countdowns, pro-marijuana rallies, environmental protests, and the unforgettable sight of 215 tiny pairs of shoes-silent and powerful-placed in a vigil for the children of residential schools. On summer days, you’ll find sunbathers lounging on the grass, laughter mixing with the low hum of city buses. Even the library inside is a treasure chest of over 50,000 art books, catalogues and journals, if you’re feeling scholarly.
Now, the museum’s plans for the future are as vivid as their exhibitions. For years they dreamed of a new home at Larwill Park, with dazzling designs, soaring ambitions, and even some dramatic hiccups-after a bidding saga, cost overruns sent those plans back to the drawing board. I guess you could say that, just like great art, the gallery’s story is always evolving.
So as you stand on these historic steps, take a breath and imagine all the passion, the protests, the masterpieces, and even the blasts of dynamite that have made the Vancouver Art Gallery what it is. Before you head off to the next stop, maybe channel your inner artist and picture what wild creation you’d hang on these grand walls!
Interested in knowing more about the building, permanent collection or the library and archive
