The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) is an art museum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The museum occupies a 15,300-square-metre-building (165,000 sq ft) adjacent to Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, making it the largest art museum in Western Canada by building size. Designed by Francis Rattenbury, the building that the museum occupies was originally opened as a provincial courthouse, before it was re-purposed for museum use in the early 1980s. The building was designated the Former Vancouver Law Courts National Historic Site of Canada in 1980.
The museum first opened its doors to the public in 1931, housed within a structure crafted by the architectural firm Sharp and Johnston. In 1950, the museum underwent its initial expansion within this original building. Later, the institution embarked on a transition to the former provincial courthouse premises, with the relocation being completed in 1983. Subsequently, in the late 2000s and 2010s, the museum initiated plans for a further relocation to a new facility situated in Larwill Park.
The Gallery’s permanent collection serves as a repository of art for the Lower Mainland region, and has approximately 12,000 works by artists from Canada, and around the world. As of 2020, the museum holds seasonal exhibitions as well as hosts travelling exhibitions.
