National Gallery of Canada Reviews

Fantastic architecture, great art, and the calming atmosphere of a cathedral.. What a super experience.

Looking forward to getting there after the Canadian museum of History special exhibit

Very nice place, u would have to spend hours to see all of the great arts in there.

Great gallery space with phenomenal modern and contemporary art.

Lovely art gallery with a nice selection of artists from throughout the centuries as well as contemporary, Canadian and indigenous art pieces.

Too much for one day! Love the cafe for a wee break.

So many interesting things in there too learn about

Wonderful way to spend my first day in Canada in a long time.

At present some portions of the gallery (photography as well as drawing & prints) are closed but what was open was good to see. Worth a visit for those that enjoy art.

The architecture is magnificent. The staff are very friendly; They have museum maps with general information in English, French and Spanish. The collections of native and Canadian art are very good, and the European art room is very complete.

A great gallery. We had the opportunity to see the Impressionists exhibit. Although there were impressionist artists the pieces exhibited were among the lesser known and not great examples of the style. I would have given the gallery 4 and maybe 5 stars were it not for the security bird dogging me throughout the exhibits. I don't know if they thought I was going to stuff a painting in my shorts or mass murder everyone. Either way it was unnecessary and uncomfortable. I'll probably not return.

A must-see when in Ottawa... this is a beautiful modern site to see and live art... highly recommended

Awesome Canadian Art exhibits, also really interesting temporary exhibits. Free on Thursday nights and right downtown.

Half of gallery was closed for Canada 150 but the galleries that were open were very nice

Beautiful experience. I can't give five stars because the glass protecting the artwork was dirty. For example: the Landscape of St Onuphrius (no. 15679) has wall text stating that "viewing such a work is an intimate experience", but on 6 May 2019 it was a struggle to see the brushwork properly owing to filth.

Stimulating.
Quiet.
Relaxing

Beautiful looking building... my visit was brief. I'd like to see more sometime

Massive collection of artworks, spanning numerous historical periods, artistic styles, and regions. Contemporary Canadian and indigenous artists are prominent. The space is well organized, and collections and individual pieces are accompanied by useful interpretive signage. Admission is very reasonable, especially for students and youth.

Always incredible exhibits that are thoughtfully put together. So inspiring to see so much great Canadian art in one place!

Artissimo offers an excellent art experience for children!

It is wonderful that this is free to everyone Thursday evenings! The Inuit art section in the basement was particularly interesting.

Confused structure. Appreciable to Canadian collection (group of 7 and innuit / first nation)

Marvellous collection of artwork. The building itself is a piece of art. Recommend putting aside an hour to go and visite the permanent collection, and the temporary if the content speaks to you.

Currently under renovation but it is a good collection and quite big

Magnificent museum. I really enjoyed the collection on Inuit art. I particularly appreciate the explanations of the collections in each room.
The temporary exhibition on Paul Gauguin is very interesting, I recommend it!

I went as early as I could, I spent all day there, and I still didn't have time to look over all the areas. One exhibit definitely brought out an emotional response, and isn't that what art is meant to do? So invoke your emotions, I recommend a visit to this very well laid out and hand-selected gallery.

Gorgueos architecture, nice layout, beautiful displays. Wi-Fi available.

Not impressed. Cafeteria was inadequate. Very poor service with too much confusion when asking for your selection. Not good value for money. Like an inferior IKEA restaurant.

The National Gallery, situated with an incredible view of Parliament Hill and the Ottawa River, is a work of art in itself - soaring cathedral-like ceilings, walls of glass and magnificent granite stone hallways that evoke the feelings of some modern day castle.

the view of the Parliament Hill seen from the backyard of the gallery is magnificent!

beautiful well designed gallery in a great area of ottawa staff was very helpful and informative, very friendly. city is great for restaurants and walking tours.

Revelled in group of Seven, indigenous art and so so much more

Lots of great stuff to see with a great central location. Recommended!

Nice place lots of cool stuff the cafe has good food but it's expensive because they have a chef

So much to look at here. It's easy to wander around for hours and take in all the beautiful art. Definitely worth buying a pass if you live here.

Went during an impressionist exhibit. It was pretty good, especially for the admittance fee. The building itself is beautiful. Although, I've had more fun at some of the other museums around town, or at the mint which is just down the street.

Magnificent! The permanent exposure of the place is amazing and there are always other very cool shows. I was lucky enough to see Monet and for free it was too good. Toilets, free wi-fi, snack bars, gift shops and other conveniences are on site. Keep in mind that going through the Gallery a few good hours is necessary, it is a lot to see.

This was a aws... Place to visit who are studing of painting and art and also a good place to watch art things

I loved.
I recommend it!

Building is beautiful and there is some breathtaking art.

The best art gallery in Canada. The Canadian artist expo for the 150'th Canada day is one of a kind.

Can't believe I'm scoring a two but there it is. Unless you have true interest in Art, this probably isn't for you. Initially, I was enjoying myself but as I worked my way around, it got boring. I started looking for a famous artist and did not readily find one (like Monet or Van Gogh). Perhaps I didn't give myself a proper amount of time. If you are not fluent in art, it would be wise to get yourself a tour and not make my mistake of going it alone.

We were happy to find parking easily and really enjoyed the Impressionist exhibition.
One of the best things, after the special show were the Group of Seven paintings and the view of the Parliament Buildings from the cafe.

Beautiful building. One of the must see places if visiting Ottawa. Great permanent collection and always good temporary exhibits. Thursdays are free in the evenings!!

Beautiful place, a lot of nice, unique things to see. Couldn't really take it all in, in one day. We will return

Very diverse choice of the collection. Loved "the Group of Seven".

Great masterpiece by legendary architect Moshe Safdie, it also hosts lots of brilliant artworks by Picasso, Van Gogh, and Pissaro among many others.

Fabulous collections and great exhibitions. Beautiful venue.

Beautiful gallery loved all the exhibits and the staff were very friendly and much kids enjoyed the visit very much

Definitely worth seeing. It'll take several hours to get through everything. My personal favorite was the chapel inside with the sound installation. Some beautiful sculptures and a plethora of beautiful paintings.

So many works of art that span many media and culture/countries. It was altogether a very enlightening experience and a great way to spend a few hours in Ottawa. Prepare yourself by bringing an inquisitive mind and be ready to critique and discuss as there is some room for interpretation.

Ottawas premier art gallery featuring temporary exibits many artists and a static collection of contemporary classical and indigenous art

Beautiful gallery with an amazing collection of works. It's a little difficult to navigate but perfect to get lost in the arts.

Lovely gallery, beautiful building. Bag/coat drop off is also free!

Hands down one of best architecture in Ottawa

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A must visit for all art and architecture lovers who visit the national capital region. Don't forget to visit the permanent exhibits when you go. Too much to see in just one day. Friendly staff.

Beautiful art in a beautiful building. One of my favourite places for a stroll in Ottawa.

Really fun place to go. Great date spot. Tons of interesting pieces. Free Thursday evenings! How can it get any better?

The gallery is worth going to just to see the building... but there is beautiful artwork inside too!

Great place to spend a day. Impressionist display was wonderful. Lots of great art.

We went here on a Thursday afternoon when it was free. Everything was great