A Message from Mayor David Miller

I am pleased to extend my warmest greetings to Art Toronto 2009 and all its participants; artists, art dealers and art enthusiasts alike.

Contemporary art has the wonderful capacity to give expression to a vast range of human feelings and experiences, which is why this rich gathering of works of art from across Canada and around the world exudes such an atmosphere of celebration each year.

The Toronto International Art Fair has achieved a lot more over the past eight years than celebrating the creativity of visual artists. It has played a significant role in creating a dynamic art market in Canada, raising the level of quality and professionalism in the field and with it the respect and value awarded for artists and their work.  For this its organizers should be congratulated.

Toronto's Agenda for Prosperity, our new economic development strategy, recognizes culture and creativity as one of the four foundations of Toronto's success as a world city and regional economy.  Creativity is embraced as one of the city's important economic drivers, inseparable from the agenda's overriding themes: prosperity, liveability and opportunity.

Never has this been more evident than the fall of 2009, when three of Canada’s most significant art events take place in Toronto within the same week: the Toronto International Art Fair, The Sobey Art Award and Exhibition.

This week of arts provides a great opportunity for residents and visitors to experience our city through a unique artistic and cultural lens.  These and other events across our city are also further proof that one of Toronto’s greatest assets is its vibrant culture of creativity – and the world is taking notice.

Mayor David Miller
City of Toronto

A Letter from the Executive Director of
Cultural Services

It is with great pleasure that I extend greetings to the artists, art dealers, critics, collectors, curators and  all art enthusiasts who once again will convene at the Toronto International Art Fair to celebrate the achievements of contemporary visual artists from across Canada and around the world.

Over the past nine years TIAF has become a signature event in the cultural life of our City, expanding year by year not only in size and numbers of visitors, but also in raising the level of expectations for artistic excellence and financial success.

In many ways the growth of the Toronto International Art Fair has paralleled the emergence of Toronto as a Creative City and the renaissance we are now experiencing through the magnificent renewal of our cultural infrastructure and the emergence of new, extremely popular art festivals, such as Luminato.  

Rita Davies
Executive Director of Cultural Services
City of Toronto