The Fine Arts Museum Part 2

Our visit to Le Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ) demanded two blog posts.

There is just so much to see.
Even the elevator is a work of art!
For the first time in its history, the MNBAQ is devoting an exhibition exclusively to Québec design and crafts, from the late 1950s to today. The only one of its kind in the country. The exhibition brings together around 145 objects made by more than a hundred artists who have marked the last six decades of the museum's history. The pieces, spaced in a custom-made environment, are presented according to the general theme of The Imagination of the Object.

I was moved by this work by Nadia Myre. She invited several hundred people of all ages to record evidence of their scars, either literal or symbolic, on small canvases. In this way, the artist offered them a metaphorical opportunity to heal their wounds. The work coincided with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, which aimed to rebuild the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians following acknowledgement of the harm inflicted on First Peoples by assimilation policies.




Aline Martineau's The Ride was a Kraft paper, tarpaper, string, and acrylic whimsical piece which I thoroughly enjoyed.
This section was my favorite, The Spirit of Expo 67. "Sexual freedom and the conquest of space were the hallmarks of the 1960s, accompanied by a general feeling of confidence, happiness and hope that corresponded to the spirit of Expo 67. These non-materialistic values were paradoxically reflected in plastic, a material very much in vogue that is now closely associated with consumer society. Industries at the time relied on designers to launch on the market new, inexpensive products that were easy to manufacture, light and therefore easily transportable."

For those unaware, the 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a category one world's fair held in Montreal. It is considered to be one of the most successful World's Fairs of the 20th century with the most attendees to that date and 62 nations participating. It also set the single-day attendance record, with 569,500 visitors on its third day. I can see why it has Spirit associated with it.
How about this RCA Stereo Sound System (Model SFA 1094) from the Forma Collection? When André Morin joined RCA in 1967 as head of audio products, one of his first assignments was to create a stereo sound system that was to retail for $199. Despite the executives' reluctance to market the model that he designed, more than 165,000 of the systems were sold the first year. The very simple sound system is noteworthy for the central trumpet bell-shaped pedestal and the pink acrylic cover, which, alone, gives the object its character.
The Mamma rocking chair is a tribute by industrial designer Patrick Messier to Sophie Fournier, his life and business partner, for the birth of their first child. When she announced that she was pregnant, she said that she would need a rocking chair. After the couple shopped in vain for a product that met their criteria for aesthetics and comfort, Messier decided to create something new.

Made from a single piece of injected fiberglass with a high-gloss urethane finish, the chair evokes a ribbon suspended in space. However (I'm lost from this point on), "Mamma’s comfortable shape was actually derived from a grid based on the Fibonacci series, a sequence in which each term is the sum of its two predecessors (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, etc.), as found in nature (petals in a sunflower, spirals in a pinecone) and as a clue in The Da Vinci Code."
This work made me smile. Its description reads, "How can a piece of furniture express a stereotype? The HIH (Honey I'm Home) Chair, designed by Cédric Sportes, tackles the concept of man the provider whose wife wait for him at home. The title, the slippers, and the red carpet made of neoprene covering the yellow chair, like the gilding of a throne, highlight the North American male chauvinist attitude." Hmmm.
Lastly, Antoine Laverdière sought to produce humble objects, both as regards their materials and their manufacturing processes, which are often more aligned with the arts and crafts than industry. Thus his Tupperware Lamps which were made of Tupperware and Rubbermaid containers cut up and fitted into each other with an illuminating device. Wild stuff of the 60s. Very groovy indeed.

Today we met a lifelong Quebecer. When we told him how long we were staying in his lovely hometown, he asked, "Why?" I think each and everyone of these posts answers that question for anyone who reads them.

To quote Patrick Roy, yet again, "My quality of life here in Québec City is extraordinary."

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