The Art Gallery of Ontario has announced it received an extraordinary gift of more than 450 pieces of art from the family of late Toronto art patrons Carol and Morton Rapp. The remarkable collection includes works by pop art legends Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and David Hockney, representing one of the most significant donations the gallery has received in recent decades.
The donated collection consists primarily of prints, drawings, and photographs spanning from the late 1960s and 1970s through the early decades of the 21st century. Gallery CEO and director Stephan Jost highlighted that the donation includes 13 screen prints by Warhol, among them four iconic portraits of Marilyn Monroe. The collection also features three works on paper by Lichtenstein, including a 1965 silkscreen executed in his distinctive comic-book-inspired style.
"It's one of the most transformative gifts we've had in the last couple decades," said Jost, expressing his enthusiasm about the acquisition. He particularly praised a bold 1967 Warhol silkscreen in yellow and red, which he expects will be a crowd-pleaser when it eventually appears in an AGO exhibit. "It's a good day when somebody gives you 13 Andy Warhols. And what's nice is many of them are super-iconic like the Marilyn Monroes," he explained.
Jost described the iconic nature of the Warhol pieces, noting that visitors will immediately recognize them. "Those are something you see all the time, the kind of poppy art ones where Marilyn Monroe looks kind of like a drag queen. When you get a series of those, it's iconic – people walk in and they say: 'I've seen that before!' And that's kind of cool," he said.
Among the notable additions is a 1965 Lichtenstein silkscreen titled "Pow Sweet Dreams Baby (C 39)" from the "11 Pop Artists" series, which Jost considers a quintessential image from the era. "He's the one who basically takes cartoon art and pop art and zooms in and takes one still and then updates it. And the great one is 'Sweet Dreams Baby' which is just so '60s," Jost explained.
The donation also includes contemporary works that address social issues. Jost particularly appreciates a 1998 print by British artist Yinka Shonibare titled "Diary Of A Victorian Dandy, 19:00 Hours," which depicts an aristocratic Black man holding a cane standing proudly in the center of a group of white partygoers gathered in a stately home. "One of things he does is restage 18th century life but substitutes people of African descent into those narratives to kind of help us understand the relationship between class, performance, gender and race," Jost said.
The comprehensive donation encompasses works by 203 different artists, including nine pieces by American painter Jasper Johns and four early works by British art giant David Hockney. The collection includes numerous portfolios, making it an exceptionally diverse and valuable addition to the gallery's holdings.
Carol and Morton Rapp were longtime champions of the arts in Toronto and beyond. Their son-in-law Jay Smith, who serves as an AGO trustee, revealed that the couple also donated pieces to prestigious institutions including the National Gallery of Canada, the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. However, their strongest support was reserved for the AGO.
Jost praised the couple's dedication to the cultural community, noting their consistent presence at gallery events. "They showed up at everything and it wasn't just the fancy events," he said. "They just always said yes to the world, right? And I think that's probably the thing I love about them. And they loved contemporary art. They loved learning."
Morton Rapp, who passed away in September 2024, built his fortune through a chain of machinery parts and distribution centers. Carol, who died in July 2023, had been an active AGO volunteer since the 1960s, serving on several committees and holding important positions including vice president of the board of trustees from 1997 to 2000 and honorary chair from 2001 to 2002.
The couple's commitment to art extended to their personal living space. Jost noted that when they rebuilt their Forest Hill home, they chose a modern minimalist style specifically designed to showcase their prized pieces while protecting them from harmful light effects. This careful curation and preservation of their collection demonstrates their deep understanding and respect for the artworks they collected.
The donated works are expected to be available for public viewing in approximately two years, as the gallery prepares to properly catalog, conserve, and display the extensive collection. "We are going to make it look great because Carol and Mort were special people," Jost promised, ensuring that the couple's legacy and their contribution to Toronto's cultural fabric will be properly honored through the presentation of their remarkable gift.
