The Art Gallery of Ontario has received one of its most significant donations in history, acquiring 474 modern and contemporary artworks from the estate of Carol and Morton Rapp, two of Toronto's most dedicated art collectors. The massive collection includes drawings, prints, photographs, and mixed-media works by over 200 artists, featuring pieces by renowned names such as David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenberg, Robert Rauschenberg, Yinka Shonibare, and Kara Walker.
The Rapps began their art collecting journey shortly after their marriage in the late 1950s and continued their passion for more than five decades. Over the years, they became legendary figures in Toronto's art community, never missing gallery events, print fairs, or art festivals. Their wealth came from Multipower, a national chain of machinery parts manufacturers and distribution centers, which allowed them to pursue their love of fine art well into their 90s.
Carol Rapp maintained a close relationship with the Art Gallery of Ontario, serving on the gallery's acquisitions board for several years. The couple had always envisioned their collection would eventually find its home at the AGO. After Carol's death in 2023 and Morton's passing in 2024, their complete collection was officially bequeathed to the gallery as planned.
Alexa Greist, the AGO's prints and drawings curator, is currently leading the effort to catalog the extensive donation. The museum's staff expects to complete this process within approximately two years, after which the artworks will be properly unveiled to the public. Greist highlighted six standout pieces from the collection that demonstrate the Rapps' sophisticated taste and commitment to boundary-pushing contemporary art.
Among the notable works is David Hockney's "One Night" from his 1966 series "Illustrations for Fourteen Poems from C.P. Cavafy." This etching and aquatint piece holds special significance as it was created around the same time Britain decriminalized homosexuality. The series illustrates poems by Constantin Cavafy, a gay poet who had to rely on innuendo in his writing, while Hockney was able to create open, beautiful celebrations of love and physical intimacy that the poet couldn't express as freely in words.
The collection also includes Claes Oldenberg's playful "Teabag" from 1966, which was actually displayed in the Rapps' kitchen as part of their practice of integrating art throughout their home. Made from laminated vacuum-formed vinyl, screenprinted vinyl, felt, and Plexiglas with rayon cord, the piece exemplifies Oldenberg's love of playing with scale and materials. The work transforms something typically soft and small into something hard and large, reflecting the 1960s fascination with plastics as the material of the future.
Thirteen prints by Andy Warhol are included in the donation, with four Marilyn Monroe silkscreens meant to be displayed together in a grid formation. These particular works, created in 1967, were actually the first prints Warhol produced when he formed his own company to make "Factory Editions." Greist notes that Warhol understood the staying power of celebrity figures like Marilyn Monroe, creating images that tap into the human desire to feel acknowledged while remaining deeply approachable and joyful to view.
Robert Rauschenberg's "Passport" from his 1967 "Ten from Leo Castelli" series represents another highlight of the collection. The piece consists of three disks of Plexiglas with media images, particularly from newspapers, printed onto them. Because each sheet can move independently, viewers have some control over the artwork's appearance, bridging the gap between pop art and abstraction in Rauschenberg's characteristic style.
The collection also features contemporary works that address complex social and historical issues. Yinka Shonibare's wall-sized photograph "Diary of a Victorian Dandy, 19:00 Hours" from 1998 shows the artist dressed as a 19th-century dandy in an elaborately staged scene. As a Black man in England and a disabled person, Shonibare uses flamboyant dress to access parts of society that might otherwise be closed to him, while making numerous art historical references including caricature traditions and "The Rake's Progress."
Kara Walker's "Testimony" from 2005 represents one of five photogravures capturing film stills from her 2004 silent film "Testimony: Narrative of a Negress Burdened by Good Intentions." The work features Walker's signature silhouetted puppet figures, with hands intentionally visible to represent the puppet master's control. Walker uses this older-looking form to raise difficult questions about race and history in the context of the enslavement of Black Africans in North America.
According to Greist, a common thread throughout the Rapp collection is the couple's attraction to artists who pushed the boundaries of printmaking by experimenting with new materials and techniques. This focus on innovation and experimentation reflects the Rapps' sophisticated understanding of contemporary art and their commitment to supporting artists who challenged traditional artistic conventions.
The donation represents not just a significant addition to the AGO's permanent collection, but also a testament to the Rapps' lifelong dedication to the arts in Toronto. Their careful curation over five decades has created a comprehensive survey of modern and contemporary printmaking that will serve as an invaluable resource for researchers, students, and art lovers for generations to come.
