Art Gallery of Ontario director Stephan Jost, the Art Gallery of Ontario director and CEO, will depart at the end of the year, the Toronto institution announced on Tuesday.
Jost’s tenure drew both praise and criticism within Canada’s art community. Supporters credit him with a substantial push into modern and contemporary art, reflected in notable acquisitions that included 450 works by Diane Arbus, 200 by Peter Hujar, and 227 by Hiroshi Sugimoto. The museum plans to open a new modern and contemporary wing in 2027, spanning 40,000 square feet over five floors.
Controversy also shadowed the period. In 2023, Wanda Nanibush, the museum’s first curator of Indigenous art, left following scrutiny of social media posts supporting Palestine. Another curator resigned after her departure. Earlier this year, a senior curator left after reports that the AGO had declined to purchase a work by Nan Goldin because she had described Israel’s war in Gaza as a genocide.
In 2024, more than 400 unionized staff staged a monthlong strike over wages, temporarily closing the museum.
In a statement, Jost said his decision follows the early completion of long-term goals. He said he reflected over the summer on arriving a decade ago and launching the AGO 2028 strategic plan, and concluded those aims had been met ahead of schedule. He added that new leadership should guide the institution into the future.
The museum highlighted several initiatives during his leadership, including a change in admissions policy that allows Ontario residents under 25 to enter for free. It also said Jost helped secure $500 million in gifts.
“Stephan has transformed the AGO over the past decade,” board co-president Beth Horowitz said, noting a broader, more inclusive collection and a younger, more diverse audience. She cited the fully funded Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery project, now underway, as a key part of his legacy.
Before joining the AGO in 2016, Jost served as director of the Honolulu Museum of Art in Hawai’i. He was also president of the Association of Art Museum Directors from 2024 to 2025, a leading professional body for museum directors in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Art Gallery of Ontario director search ahead
The AGO did not disclose Jost’s next move. The museum said it will begin a search for a new director and CEO.
The museum said it will begin a search for a new director and CEO, as other institutions such as the Riverside Art Museum have recently done.
The Art Gallery of Ontario did not disclose Jost’s next move.