August 9, 2010 – Nowhere is the interplay between an artist and his society more evident than in the life and work of Paul-Émile Borduas, one of the icons of Québec and Canadian art. Running until October 3, 2010, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal’s latest exhibition, Borduas: Les frontières de nos rêves ne sont plus les mêmes, commemorates the 50th anniversary of the artist’s death by offering a fresh look at his legacy.
Anxiety of influence
A painter, teacher and essayist, Borduas was one of Canada’s first artists to make use of surrealist techniques, and the Musée’s Borduas exhibition highlights his powerful influence on Québec art and society. He is perhaps best known as the driving force behind the formation of the Automatist movement and for his 1948 publication of the Refus global (“Global Refusal”), a manifesto which prefigured the Quiet Revolution by advocating great social change in Québec, especially concerning the repressive influence of the Catholic Church on the arts.
Living legacy
The Musée’s formidable Borduas Collection – comprised of some 123 pieces – is augmented by a selection of works by four contemporary artists (François Lacasse, Guy Pellerin, Roland Poulin and Irene F. Whittome). In acknowledgment of the pivotal role played by Borduas in the development of their crafts, the exhibition includes their own selections of Borduas pieces and a presentation of their own work.
Tours and more
In conjunction with the Université de Montréal’s Belles soirées et matinées series, Josée Bélisle, curator of the exhibition and the Musée Collection, will give a talk on Borduas in the exhibition galleries, and Sylvie Pelletier, the Musée’s tour coordinator, will provide an informative tour. This activity takes place on Tuesday, September 21, 2010, and guided tours are available throughout the exhibition on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
