Art Gallery of Ontario’s CEO Stephan Jost to depart at the end of this year

TORONTO — The Art Gallery of Ontario says its top executive is stepping down after a decade in the role.

In a news release, the AGO says director and CEO Stephan Jost is leaving at the end of this year.

The AGO credits Jost with securing significant art collections during his tenure, including a recent donation of 450 works from the late patrons Carol and Morton Rapp.

It says Jost also led a project to expand the gallery space by 40,000 sq. feet, set to open next year.

The AGO has also weathered controversy in recent months. The Globe and Mail earlier this year reported on the fallout after the gallery backed away from acquiring work by Jewish-American photographer Nan Goldin, who had been critical of Israel’s miliary campaign in Gaza.

The AGO says it will launch a global search for Jost’s replacement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2026.

Kaitlyn McGrath, The Canadian Press