The Edward Burtynsky Collection
This selection is drawn from a multiyear donation of works by celebrated Canadian photographer (and Ryerson University alumnus) Edward Burtynsky, whose iconic images have brought global attention to the impacts of human industry on the natural landscape. The first instalment of Burtynsky's gift, announced in 2020, includes 142 of his earliest images, created between 1976 and 1989. Each annual donation will represent another chronological stage of Burtynsky’s career, resulting in a collection that spans five-plus decades of photography on a range of subjects, including industrial manufacturing; landscapes altered for the economic exploitation of oil, water, stone, and other resources; waste and recycling; and the incursion of transportation routes in nature. At the culmination of Burtynsky's generous donation, the Ryerson Image Centre will be home to the world’s largest and most comprehensive institutional collection of this important artist's work.

Edward Burtynsky, Early Landscape Study, 1st Year Ryerson Portfolio, 1976, gelatin silver print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Savannah, Georgia, 2nd Year Ryerson Portfolio, 1978, gelatin silver print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Bruce Peninsula, 1981, chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Holland Marsh Greenhouses, Ontario, from the series Greenhouses, 1982, chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Holland Marsh Greenhouses, Ontario, from the series Greenhouses, 1982, chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Heinz Ketchup Bottling Plant, from the series Packing, 1982, chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Chicken Packing Plant, Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, from the series Packing, 1983, chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Holland Marsh, Ontario, from the series Packing, 1983, chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Turkeys, California, from the series Packing, c. 1983, chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Flower Sprayer, Holland Marsh, Ontario, from the series Packing, 1983, chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Zabriskie Point, Death Valley, California, 1983, chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Self Portrait #1, 1983, chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Untitled, from the series Taxidermy, 1983, chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, British Columbia, from the series Taxidermy, 1983, chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Railcuts #11, C.N. Track, Thompson River, British Columbia, Canada, from the series Breaking Ground, Railcuts, 1985 (printed 2007), chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Railcuts #7, C.N. Track, Thompson River, British Columbia, Canada, from the series Breaking Ground, Railcuts, 1985 (printed 2002), chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Mines #19, Westar Open Pit Coal Mine, Sparwood, British Columbia, Canada, from the series Breaking Ground, Mines, 1985 (printed 2013), chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Mines #15, Inco Tailings Pond, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, from the series Breaking Ground, Mines, 1985 (printed 2016), chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Homesteads # 32, View from Highway 8, British Columbia, from the series Breaking Ground, Homesteads, 1985 (printed ca. 1988), chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Homesteads #29, Walkerville, Montana, USA, from the series Breaking Ground, Homesteads, 1985 (printed 2015), chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Nicollet Mall Façade, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota, from the series Banks, 1987–1988, chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, King Street Façade, Canadian Bank of Commerce, Head Office, Toronto, Ontario, from the series Banks, 1987–1988, chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Ford Assembly Plant, Oakville, Ontario, 1989, chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Ford Assembly Plant, Oakville, Ontario, 1989, chromogenic print © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Ukrainian Summer Camp, Acton, Ontario, ca. 1990 © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019

Edward Burtynsky, Ukrainian Summer Camp, Acton, Ontario, ca. 1990 © Edward Burtynsky/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. The Edward Burtynsky Collection, Ryerson Image Centre, Gift of the artist, 2019