Ottawa's two major art galleries set to reopen with new exhibitions

The two major art galleries in Ottawa have announced plans to reopen this month, both with new exhibitions in place.

Opening day at the National Gallery of Canada will be Friday, July 16, while the Ottawa Art Gallery has its opening scheduled for Wednesday, July 21.

At the National Gallery, the summer's main attraction is Rembrandt in Amsterdam: Creativity and Competition, an exhibition that includes more than 100 works by Rembrandt and his contemporaries. One highlight is The Blinding of Samson, a large oil on canvas painted by the Dutch master in 1636.

The exhibit also includes works by Black and Indigenous artists that offer a counter-perspective of the Dutch republic as a colonial power.

Meanwhile, the Ottawa Art Gallery is welcoming visitors with The Life of a Building, an interactive knitting sculpture by Ottawa-based artists Greta Grip and Lee Jones. With it, each person who walks through the entrance triggers a sensor that commands a knitting machine to create a full circular row, growing longer as more people visit. It will be operating for a year, ultimately creating a colourful tube that serves as a visual showcase of visitor data. You can also interact with it online.

To visit each gallery, you must book a time. National Gallery time-stamped tickets are available starting Wednesday at gallery.ca. Go to oaggao.ca to book a time for the Ottawa Art Gallery.

Admission is free at the OAG.

At the National Gallery, it's free for Indigenous Peoples, children under 11, and the attendant accompanying a person with a disability. Free admission is also offered from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursdays.

In other art news, the digitally enhanced presentation of Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience at Aberdeen Pavilion will open July 23, more than a week earlier than originally planned. Tickets for the additional days go on sale at 10 a.m. Wednesday at vangoghottawa.com.