In accordance with the announcement by the provincial government, the Gardiner Museum has closed temporarily, effective Monday November 23. While this news is difficult, the health and safety of our visitors, staff, and the wider community remains our top priority. We'll continue to provide you with engaging digital content to keep us connected while the galleries are closed.
During our temporary closure, we're posting exhibitions and selections from our collection online. Discover Inuit ceramics, Chinese and Japanese porcelain, pottery from the Ancient Americas, and more!
In accordance with instructions from the provincial government, the Museum closed to the public on Monday November 28 and we have cancelled all clay classes. We regret the inconvenience this may cause, but are hopeful that these actions will help maintain the health and safety of our communities. We will automatically be crediting students with a refund for remaining sessions.
Every object in our permanent collection can be accessed through our eMuseum portal. Learn about individual collecting areas, like Italian Maiolica or Modern and Contemporary Ceramics, or search the full collection by keyword. You'll be amazed by what you discover!
With the Museum closed temporarily, we need your support to continue to offer innovative and engaging exhibitions, programs, and community projects online, as well as plan for the future. Please consider making a donation to help us build community with clay.
Internationally-renowned for her interactive interventions in prestigious British and American museums, Clare Twomey creates a spectacular commissioned installation about making and collecting, viewed through the lens of the Gardiner’s 18th-century European porcelain galleries.
Join the Liberation! Free art piece by piece
For one day only, on the closing day of the exhibition on Sunday January 4 from 1 to 5 pm, join us in a public intervention as we give away the ghostly white statuettes in acclaimed British artist Clare Twomey’s “groundbreaking intervention” (The Toronto Star). Over 2,000 of these figurines are frozen in a dramatic tableau, waiting to be liberated. This is your chance to play a part and free art, piece by piece!
The general public may take one figurine per person only, free with admission. Register in advance to gain priority line access.
Gardiner Members get advanced access from 12 to 1 pm.
About the Artist
Born in 1968 and raised in Ipswich, Suffolk, in the United Kingdom, Clare Twomey attended the Edinburgh College of Art, studying painting and ceramics, and the prestigious Royal College of Art (RCA) in London. She was drawn to ceramics for the material’s malleability and ability to connect with the everyday, allowing her to explore people and relationships through her work.
She often works with clay in large-scale installations, sculpture and site-specific works. Over the past 10 years she has exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Crafts Council, Eden Project and Royal Academy of Arts in London, the Tate Gallery in Liverpool, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City), and the Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto, Japan.
Exhibition Programs & Events
Thursday October 2, 5 to 6:30 pm Patron Opening Reception A reception with artist Clare Twomey in attendance with hors d’oeuvres by a la Carte Kitchen.
Thursday October 2, 7 to 8:30 pm In Conversation with Clare Twomey Join Gardiner Museum Chief Curator Rachel Gotlieb as she discusses the exhibition with Clare Twomey.
Friday October 3, 10 am to 9 pm Members Preview Day Gardiner Members enjoy an exclusive advance preview of Clare Twomey: Piece By Piece.
Special Thanks
The Gardiner Museum gratefully acknowledges the support of Presenting Sponsor Partners in Art.
“We’re pleased to be sponsoring Clare Twomey’s first exhibition in Canada,” says Joanne Thring, President of PIA. “Helping to bring the commissioned Piece by Piece exhibition to Toronto is an exciting opportunity for both PIA and the Gardiner and we are pleased to be highlighting this internationally acclaimed British artist to the contemporary Canadian art scene.”
The Gardiner also thanks Exhibition Partner Hal Jackman Foundation and Publication Sponsor The Max Clarkson Family Foundation.