In 2025, the Contemporary Art Galleries Association (AGAC) celebrates its 40th anniversary, marking four decades of commitment to the defense and promotion of contemporary art.
From 2005 to today, the second half of AGAC’s history has been marked by the affirmation of the Association and its members on the national art scene, driven by major initiatives and landmark events. Rhéal Lanthier, owner of the Montreal gallery Art Mûr, a long-standing member and president of AGAC’s Board of Directors from 2007 to 2013, believes that it was by steadily building an audience for these projects that the Association was able to achieve the success and recognition it enjoys today:
“The dynamism that the Association has been able to inject into the market, by creating new collectors and an interest in collecting with several educational projects, is what makes Plural do so well today. […] Because an audience has been developed over the years.”
The years of recognition
Since the late 2000s, AGAC has launched numerous projects that have helped broaden its audience and strengthen its mission, both within the art community and with the general public. These include the Gala des arts visuels (2011–2014), the Standard Artist-Gallery Contract developed with the Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels (2012–present), Feature: Contemporary Art Fair in Toronto (2014–2015), A Guide to Collecting (2016–2017), the Art Market Forum (2019–2020), the Retrouvez l’art d’ici campaign (2021), and more recently, Gallery Weekend (2021–2024) and the Plural Fair (2023–present).
The four initiatives highlighted below are particularly notable for their unifying impact. Together, they reflect AGAC’s reach and vitality, as well as the central role the Association now plays in Canada’s contemporary art scene.
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Papier / Plural Contemporary Art Fair (2007-present)
Created in 2007, Papier was the most important art fair in Quebec. For fifteen editions, it brought together around forty of Canada’s most prestigious contemporary art galleries, giving the public the opportunity to discover nearly 400 artists in a single venue. Initially only presenting works on paper – hence the origin of its name – the fair aspired to be an accessible entry point to collecting art as well as a showcase for contemporary creation.
After being hosted in various iconic venues across Montreal before arriving at the Grand Quay of the Port of Montreal in 2019, Papier saw at its peak more than 17,000 visitors over the course of 3 days.
2023 marked a new chapter for AGAC’s flagship event: after a long process of deliberation and consultation with key players in the art world, Papier underwent a rebranding and became Plural Contemporary Art Fair.
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Gala des arts visuels (2011-2014)
From 2011 to 2014, the Gala des arts visuels honoured the exceptional work of key players in Quebec’s artistic ecosystem.
This festive award ceremony sought to create and solidify bonds within the visual arts community by highlighting the talent and efforts invested by everyone involved. With categories ranging from “Best exhibition in a private gallery, museum or artist-run centre” to “Best essay”, or “Best curatorial work”, the Gala was an annual event that pushed for the recognition of artistic excellence and the media coverage necessary for the wider exposure of contemporary art. Throughout its three iterations, the Gala celebrated nearly 80 professionals in the field, spotlighting local visual arts.
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Feature: Contemporary Art Fair (2014-2015)
Feature: Contemporary Art Fair was held twice, in 2014 and 2015. This more intimate Toronto fair was made for and by galleries and was devoted exclusively to contemporary art as well as Canadian galleries. With each exhibitor presenting a maximum of three artists, this curated fair was intended to showcase only the most innovative current artistic practices with a more “cutting-edge” approach. An educational program was also set up to reflect and discuss the issues affecting the field.
Organized at the Joey & Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre, the event brought together some twenty galleries and attracted approximately 4,000 visitors each year, marking the success of an AGAC project of this scale in Toronto.
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Gallery Weekend (2021-2024)
From 2021 to 2024, Gallery Weekend offered visitors a weekend of neighborhood-based tours through contemporary art galleries in Montreal and, starting in 2022, Toronto as well. In a city-wide festive atmosphere, Gallery Weekend featured a program of free activities: discussions, guided tours, vernissages, conferences, brunches, book launches, creative workshops and more.
During 4 days, the public was invited to discover over 47 galleries, 80 exhibitions and 40 special events across the 2 cities, all while meeting and exchanging with gallerists, artists and art professionals.