Tickets for Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris go on sale March 31

Full exhibition experience includes kid-friendly features, lectures, dining packages, Paella Nights and a look back at the AGO's past

TORONTO, March 28, 2012 /CNW/ - See the world through the eyes of a genius! Tickets go on sale this weekend for the Art Gallery of Ontario's highly anticipated Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris nearly 50 years after the AGO's last blockbuster presentation of Picasso's works.

"The Musée National Picasso, Paris, is a living legacy to one of the most influential and radical figures of modern art. Its collection is made up of the works the artist kept for himself and his family, making this exhibition of the collection's masterpieces a rare glimpse of 'Picasso's Picassos,'" says Matthew Teitelbaum, AGO director and CEO. The monumental exhibition makes the only Canadian stop on its world tour to bring 147 highlights from the Musée's collection to Toronto, from May 1 to Aug. 26, 2012.

"Pablo Picasso was a versatile and forward-thinking artist, and BMO Financial Group is proud to be the Lead Sponsor of this exhibition," says Gilles Ouellette, president and CEO, Private Client Group, BMO Financial Group. "As a corporate partner, we are pleased to join in the celebration of one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century."

Timed-entry tickets to this family-friendly exhibition go on sale on March 31. Regular-priced tickets range from $16.50 for youth and student visitors to $25 for adults. Admission is FREE for AGO Members and for children ages 5 and under. Tickets can be booked online by visiting ago.net/picasso.

Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris is curated by Anne Baldassari, chairman and chief curator of collections of the Musée National Picasso, Paris. Elizabeth Smith, the AGO's executive director of curatorial affairs, will oversee the exhibition's installation at the AGO. The exhibition is co-organized by the Musée National Picasso, Paris, and the Art Gallery of Ontario.

LEAD SPONSOR: BMO Financial Group

OFFICIAL AIRLINE: Air Canada

OFFICIAL HOTEL PARTNER: Starwood Hotels and Resorts

Supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canada Travelling Exhibitions Indemnification Program / Avec l'appui du ministère du Patrimoine canadien par le biais du Programme d'Indemnisation pour les exposition itinérants au Canada.

ABOUT BMO FINANCIAL GROUP
Established in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group is a highly diversified North American financial services organization. With total assets of $538 billion as at January 31, 2012, and more than 47,000 employees, BMO Financial Group provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and solutions. For more than 194 years, BMO Financial Group has believed in community reinvestment, and corporate and social responsibility in the communities it serves. In 2011, BMO contributed more than $66.4 million in donations, sponsorships and events in Canada and the United States to groups, organizations and programs that help build and sustain resilient, vital and healthy communities.

ABOUT AIR CANADA
Air Canada is Canada's largest full-service airline and the largest provider of scheduled passenger services in the Canadian market, the Canada-U.S. trans-border market and in the international market to and from Canada. In 2011, Air Canada, together with its Air Canada Express regional partners carried, more than 33 million passengers, offering direct passenger service to more than 180 destinations on five continents. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance™, providing the world's most comprehensive air transportation network.

ABOUT THE AGO
With a collection of more than 80,000 works of art, the Art Gallery of Ontario is among the most distinguished art museums in North America. From the vast body of Group of Seven and signature Canadian works to the African art gallery, from the cutting-edge contemporary art to Peter Paul Rubens' masterpiece The Massacre of The Innocents, the AGO offers an incredible art experience with each visit. In 2002 Kenneth Thomson's generous gift of 2,000 remarkable works of Canadian and European art inspired Transformation AGO, an innovative architectural expansion by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry that, in 2008, resulted in one of the most critically acclaimed architectural achievements in North America. Highlights include Galleria Italia, a gleaming showcase of wood and glass running the length of an entire city block, and the often-photographed spiral staircase, beckoning visitors to explore. The AGO has an active membership program offering great value, and the AGO's Weston Family Learning Centre offers engaging art and creative programs for children, families, youth and adults. Visit ago.net to find out more about upcoming special exhibitions, to learn about eating and shopping at the AGO, to register for programs and to buy tickets or memberships.

May 1, 2012: Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris

October 20, 2012: Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting

The Art Gallery of Ontario is funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Additional operating support is received from the City of Toronto, the Canada Council for the Arts and generous contributions from AGO members, donors and private-sector partners.

For more images, interviews and more information, please contact:

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Meagan Campbell, News Officer, Communications 
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Caitlin Coull, Manager, Communications 
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