If I was a dog, I would wag for the WAG

WAG aka Winnipeg Art Gallery

Now call me biased, but this is THE GREATEST art gallery in the world. Step aside Louvre. You've got some competition.

Now what makes a good art gallery great?

Think back to the last time you visited a museum or gallery

Do you remember what you saw?
Do you remember what was featured or on display?
Was the experience memorable?

If your answered YES! YES! and YES! then you have OBVIOUSLY been to the WAG. Now some of the greatest exhibitions I have ever seen have been at the WAG. And trust me when I say I have been to A LOT of exhibitions.

Now lets take a look back to some of the WAG's most memorable exhibitions:

Ron Mueck

If the National Gallery of Canada was to loan a piece to your local gallery what would you choose? Nothing seems more suitable than Ron Mueck's A Girl. Picture this:

New-born baby. Fresh from the womb. Covered in blood and mucus. Matted hair. Umbilical cord still attached. Oh. and I forgot to mention that the baby is also 5 meters in length.

Now I would be surprised if you walked out of the gallery and DIDN'T remember this....

Allyson Mitchell: Ladies Sasquatch

Well if you are me, you are already intrigued by the title. Now mix this intrigue with: Textiles. Taxidermy. Nature Sounds. And 6, 10 foot tall creatures. And there you have it.

Ladies Sasquatch.

"In a new twist on the legend of the Sasquatch, a wild hairy creature, consistently described as solitary and male, Mitchell has assembled a congregation of anatomically correct females."

Olympus

Once you climb two flights of stairs and turn to your left, staring back at you is the face of the ruler of the skies. The controller of lightening. The father of the gods: Zeus.

After opening the set of double doors, time turns back 2000 years to ancient Greece and Rome. Imagine being surrounded by marble statues of Greek gods and goddesses in brilliant white. Terracotta vases decorated with iconic scenes in Greek Mythology including the Judgement of Paris and the 10 labours of Hercules.

There was something absolutely amazing about standing face to face with these antiquities. Similar to the feeling you get when standing in front of Rome's Coliseum, or Michelangelo's David. The fact that these pieces are still standing and intact is surreal in itself.

100 Masters

What better way to celebrate the WAG's 100th anniversary then put some of the world's greatest, most talented artists on display. And remember, it is not every day that a Winnipegger gets to see a Van Gogh, Picasso, Warhol, and Carr in the same place...Well unless it's on Google Images....

From van Gogh's charming and iconic yellow sunflowers, to Bacon's distorted and ominous rendition of Pope Innocent X, this exhibition was truly spectacular.

Stephen Borys, WAG's CEO and exhibition curator, skilfully selected works which explore different mediums, movements, and styles. Though the 100 works as a collection are extremely different from one another and span a period of over 500 years, they were masterfully put together in this ambitious and successful show.

Up Close Dali

Imagine lying on your back and staring forward and slightly upward. In front of you is galloping horse, a stallion white as snow, charging full speed ahead. As it sees you, it stops dead in its tracks, throwing itself backwards, standing 4 meters tall on its hind legs. This is Dali's Santiago El Grande.

Combine this with melting clocks, an extravagant series of moustaches, and gravity defying cats, and you find that you cant help but leave the gallery with a smile on your face.