After an eight-year stint at the National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec (MNBAQ), Annie Gauthier returns to the Joliette Art Museum (MAJ), which she directed around ten years ago, we learned The Press. She succeeds Jean-François Bélisle, appointed to the Ottawa Museum of Fine Arts last July… and who succeeded him in 2016!
“I feel extremely feverish, for me, it’s a return to my old loves,” confided Annie Gauthier in an interview with The Press. I am a manager at heart, so it makes me very happy to be reunited with the museum team,” tells us the new general director and chief curator of the Joliette Art Museum (MAJ), who directed this museum from 2012 to 2016.
It was the president of the board of directors of the Joliette Art Museum, Emmanuel Préville-Ratelle, who contacted Annie Gauthier in the fall.
“I wasn’t looking for a job,” says Annie Gauthier, “and I didn’t expect to be asked at that time, but Emmanuel found the words to persuade me. He particularly insisted on the importance of continuing to build on what has been done by previous managements. The fact that I knew the museum well was an ideal scenario for them. »
If she finally accepted, it was first of all “out of love for the museum and its collection”, which notably includes pieces by Borduas, Riopelle, Ferron, Sullivan, Louise Robert and Ozias Leduc, and also the French sculptor Rodin and the Canadian painter Emily Carr, but also because she “wanted to put her hands on the wheel”. She takes office this Friday.
At [Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec], we work in the ranks, it’s very different. We have great resources, it’s an incredible engine, we can do great things, but the MAJ, by its size, is much more agile, and allows me to take the helm, and that tempted me.
Annie Gauthier, general director and chief curator of the MAJ
Annie Gauthier makes no secret of it, she returns with baggage that she did not have when she directed the museum for the first time, a little over 10 years ago. “I was 39 years old, I was just learning my skills,” explains this trained artist, who was notably a manager at the Regroupement des centers d’artistes autogrés du Québec.
It must be said that during her time at the Joliette Art Museum, Annie Gauthier devoted most of her energies to piloting the museum’s renovation project – costing more than 13 million dollars -, “an incredible adventure”, we she said, which required the permanent collection to be moved and forced the institution to rent commercial space for a little over a year.
“Today I will definitely be able to take advantage of the museum’s new facilities,” she said with a laugh. I will also be able to reconnect with the work of current artists, which is the advantage of a smaller museum. We have a more intimate relationship with the environment, it’s much less hierarchical than in a large museum like the MNBAQ. So, I can’t wait to rediscover the pleasure of contact with the community. »
Let’s talk about Picasso
At the MNBAQ, she was in turn director of collections, exhibitions and international partnerships. What is she most proud of when thinking about these last years spent in Quebec? Annie Gauthier discusses the important work carried out for the exhibition dedicated to Picasso, Open dialog.
PHOTO YAN DOUBLET, LE SOLEIL ARCHIVES
The Picasso exhibition at the MNBAQ, in 2021
“It was an exhibition that allowed us to evolve and meet our audiences in a different way. We presented works from the Picasso museum in Paris, but we were able to add nuances, talk about fatphobia, atypical bodies and even Picasso’s misogyny, without putting him on trial. For me, this is proof that we can talk about anything. I believe that the museum should be a place for discussion. »
Annie Gauthier also discusses her work with artists Stanley Février, Cozic and Manasie Akpaliapik, the first Inuit artist to exhibit solo at the MNBAQ.
We also ask Annie Gauthier if she intends to continue the work started by her predecessor at the MAJ, Jean-François Bélisle, who moved closer to indigenous communities following the tragic death of Joyce Echaquan at Saint-Hospital. Charles Borromeo. “My action will be part of continuity,” she assures.
The tragedy of Joyce Echaquan’s death occurred locally, near the museum, and the museum spoke out. So the relationship with the community is really important and I will continue to play an active role in serving citizens. My goal is to meet with the museum team, review projects in progress, and make sure they are inclusive.
Annie Gauthier, general director and chief curator of the MAJ
Regarding the debate on diversity and decolonization, Annie Gauthier is cautious. She emphasizes the importance of “building lasting ties” with her community. “For me, the museum is a meeting between art and the community, so my goal is to improve our relationship of living together. It’s a question of identity that has to be worked on in the long term. »
The position of director of the Joliette Art Museum Foundation, which Jean-François Bélisle held in addition to his functions as general director and chief curator, will ultimately be separated from the other titles. MAJ management intends to make an appointment soon.
Julie Armstrong-Boileau, who has been acting general management with Hélène Lacharité since the departure of Jean-François Bélisle last July, will return to her position as director of development and communications.
The MAJ in brief
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The Joliette Museum
- Permanent collection: 8,300 works
- Operating budget: 3.1 million
- Works acquired in 2022-2023: 198
- Number of employees: 27 permanent, 46 contract
- Number of visitors in 2022-2023: 30,827