Its building, made of glass and granite with octagonal towers, was designed by the renowned architect Moshe Safdie and was constructed in 1988. However, what strikes many during the external inspection is not only the building itself but what stands in front of it. That would be none other than a nearly ten-meter-tall metallic spider of quite a eerie appearance.
In 2000, the new gallery building was included by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada in the list of the country's top 500 buildings built over the last millennium.
The gallery houses a large and diverse collection of paintings, sculptures, and photographs. While the primary focus is on Canadian art, you can also see many works by American and European artists. The gallery also features collections of indigenous and Inuit art. The collection of contemporary art is particularly impressive, including some of Andy Warhol's most famous works.