As a celebrated Canadian gallery, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) is deeply connected to the cultures and communities of Atlantic Canada, a region shaped by its enduring relationship with the sea. It is committed to this mission as an agency of the Province of Nova Scotia and one of the premier arts institutions in Canada.  

Since its beginnings in 1908 as the Nova Scotia Museum of Fine Arts, the Gallery has been at the heart of the province’s cultural evolution. It officially became the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in 1975. Over the years, the AGNS has cultivated an impressive permanent collection of nearly 20,000 works, including Canadian and Indigenous art, contemporary installations, and a renowned folk-art collection featuring Maud Lewis’s iconic painted house and the largest public collection of her work.