The purpose of art galleries and museums is to collect, preserve and present the permanent collection of artworks and heritage objects to the public. There are currently over 23o0 museums and related institutions which include art galleries and art events in Canada.

The very first museum was opened by Thomas Barnet, in 1831 he advertised his personal museum of local and foreign specimens at Niagra Falls. After a short time, there was another Museum opened at Niagara-on-the-lake, Dr Abraham Gesner founded this museum at Saint John, NB in 1842. First provisional Museum was opened by Nova Scotia in 1868 in Halifax.

For more details of the Art galleries and history of museums in Canada

ART GALLERIES IN CANADA 

• National Gallery of Canada

Director: Marc Mayer

• Ottawa Art Gallery, Ottawa

• Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG), Winnipeg

McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg

• Art Gallery of Hamilton, Downtown Hamilton 

• Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia

• Gallery Arcturus, art gallery and museum, Toronto

• Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto, Ontario at Harbourfront Centre

• Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

• Art Gallery of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario

• Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, Ontario

• Ryerson Image Centre, Toronto

• Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Confederation College in Thunder Bay, Ontario

• Art Gallery of Burlington, Ontario

• Art Gallery of Algoma St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

• Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia

• Mendel Art Gallery, City Park, Saskatoon

• Art Gallery of Guelph, formerly the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, the sculpture park in Guelph

• Art Gallery of Alberta, downtown Edmonton, Alberta

ART MUSEUMS IN CANADA 

• Canadian Heritage Information Network, Gatineau

• Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, Ontario

• Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario

• Gardiner Museum, Queens Park, Toronto

• Textile Museum of Canada,  Toronto, Ontario

• Ontario Science Centre, Toronto, Ontario

• Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto, Ontario

• Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston, Ontario

• Bata Shoe Museum Toronto, Ontario

• TheMuseum in Kitchener, Ontario

• Casa Loma, Toronto, Ontario

• Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto

• Art Museum at the University of Toronto – University of Toronto Art Centre

• Spadina Museum, Toronto, Ontario

• Canadian War Museum, Ottawa

• Canadian Museum of History, Ottawa

• Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Ottawa

• Canada Science and Technology Museum, Ottawa

• Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, Ottawa

• Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa

• Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta

• Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, British Columbia

• Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, British Columbia

• Vancouver Maritime Museum, British Columbia

• Audain Art Museum, British Columbia

• Musée d’art Contemporain de Montréal (MACM), Montreal, Quebec

• Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Quebec City

• Museum of Civilization, Musée de la civilisation à Québec, Quebec

• The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Quebec

• Canadian Museum of History, Hull area of Gatineau, Quebec

• McCord Museum, downtown Montreal, Quebec

• Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Albert St, Regina

• Manitoba Museum, Winnipeg