For a long time, the grandiose panorama of Percé has had an irresistible attraction for artists.
From 1956 to 1981, under the leadership of sculptor and painter Suzanne Guité, the Percé Art Center was the summer meeting place for artists. Following the death of Ms. Guité and the closure of the Art Center, Jean-Louis Lebreux, her right-hand man, took over by founding the Le Chafaud Museum in 1983.
Under his leadership, the place hosted more than a hundred exhibitions. On the walls of the Museum shone the works of European masters and great Quebec artists. Today, Jean-Louis Lebreux is taking a well-deserved retirement with a feeling of accomplished duty. During a ceremony held recently, several personalities from the field of arts and literature highlighted the excellence of the work of this museologist.
The president of the Le Chafaud Museum corporation, Chantal Soucy, declared: “We salute the fact that Jean-Louis Lebreux always ensured that the museum presented large-scale artists who had been inspired by the Gaspésie and who could be inspiring for Gaspé artists. »
The Dr Jacques Baillargeon and the writer Hélène Pelletier-Baillargeon added: “Despite the distances, with unfailing courage and patience, he managed, summer after summer, with very little financial means, to set up exhibitions remarkable. »
The former director and editor-in-chief of Life of the arts Bernard Lévy said: “Thanks to Jean-Louis Lebreux, the Le Chafaud Museum now has a collection of unique works that can be borrowed by establishments both in Quebec and abroad, which contributes to increasing its influence. artistic of Percé and Quebec. »
According to gallerist Éric Devlin, “Kittie Bruneau said of Jean-Louis Lebreux: “You have to be a weirdo to keep a contemporary art museum open in Percé when everyone comes here to see a hole and birds”” .
Finally, the presentation of the National Assembly medal to museologist Jean-Louis Lebreux crowned the tribute ceremony. Over the last few decades, Jean-Louis Lebreux, director of the Le Chafaud Museum, has taken up the challenge of bringing art from the big cities down to Percé.