McMichael Canadian Art Collection

Robert and Signe McMichael built a house of hand-hewn logs and fieldstone in the woods at Kleinburg in 1954 and from 1955 filled it with Group of Seven paintings; they gave house and collection to Ontario in 1965. The gallery has grown around the original building but kept the timber and stone, and the point is the setting: the landscapes are shown in the kind of country that produced them, with windows opening onto the same forest. Six members of the Group of Seven are buried in a small cemetery on the grounds. The collection has expanded into Indigenous and Inuit art alongside the founding holdings.

History

Robert and Signe McMichael bought a 10-acre plot at Kleinburg in 1951 and built their home in 1954, and in 1955 they bought their first painting, a Tom Thomson, for C$250; in 1962 they moved Thomson's studio from Toronto to the property, and by 1965 their collection held 194 paintings. On 18 November 1965 they agreed to give the collection and land to Ontario, the museum opened on 8 July 1966, and in 1968 A. Y. Jackson suggested it become the burial ground for members of the Group of Seven (Wikipedia, McMichael Canadian Art Collection).

What you'll find

• The Group of Seven collection - landscapes shown in a forest setting.
• The artists' graves - six Group members buried in a plot on the grounds.
• The log and stone building - the McMichaels' house grown into a gallery.
• The Indigenous and Inuit holdings - collections built up since the founding gift.

When to go

The gallery complex closed in late July 2026 for a three-year renovation and is expected to reopen in 2029; when open it is a year-round visit, with autumn colour in the surrounding woods matching the paintings. Sculpture trails run through the grounds.

Before you go

The gallery is closed for renovation from July 2026 until 2029, so check what, if anything, is accessible before going. It is forty kilometres from central Toronto with limited transit, so a car is close to essential. Hanging rotates, so specific favourite works may not be on show. It is smaller than the AGO.

Nearby

Canada's Wonderland lies east; Toronto is to the south.

Key facts