Art works (yes it does)

Our neighbors to the north … er, south … in Windsor have something new to be proud of, as the Art Gallery of Windsor accomplishes a long-awaited reincarnation at 401 Riverside Dr. W. After seven years in its “temporary” but spacious, invigorating digs at Windsor’s Devonshire Mall, the Gallery returns to a site overlooking the Detroit River that it has occupied in one form or another since 1975. But an architecture of light and room to stretch the eyeballs around challenging contemporary art are just the beginning of enticements from this latest addition to the metro area’s burgeoning art scene. Starting in February, four large exhibitions and two smaller ones make it that much more interesting to take the tunnel or the bridge into Canada: Impressionist Masterworks from the National Gallery of Canada (including works by Cézanne, Gauguin, Degas, Monet, van Gogh, Renoir and others); Contemporary Works from the Permanent Collection; Continuities: Highlights from the Permanent Collection; and an exhibition by Vancouver artist Brian Jungen on the theme of the aboriginal promise to transform an afternoon or a whole day of mundane time into a luminous, thoughtful trance. Rounding out the offerings are a video installation by Finnish artist Eija-Lissa Ahtila and an installation by Windsor sculptor Ed Janzen. The gallery is open Tuesday-Sunday, with free admission to the impressionist show on Tuesdays. For information, call 519-977-0013 or check out the Web site at www.artgalleryofwindsor.com.