This text is part of the special Museums notebook
The cultural return to museums in the greater Montreal region is as flamboyant as the colors of fall. Among the current exhibitions we find a wide diversity of themes as well as new releases. Here is an overview of the exhibitions not to be missed.
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts: “Marisol. A retrospective “
Since October 7, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) has been offering a unique exhibition on Marisol Escobar, a major pop-art artist, whose wooden sculptures of characters are emblematic. Organized in conjunction with the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, this exhibition, bringing together more than 250 works and testimonies, is the most exhaustive that exists on the artist of Venezuelan origin. When she died in 2016, the latter bequeathed her works to the American museum which has never yet exhibited them all. Montreal will therefore be the first to host the entirety of his work, which spans sixty years. Although her totem sculptures were associated with the pop art movement in the 1960s and she was considered the most important female artist of her generation, Marisol remains little-known today. This exhibition will allow us to fully appreciate this feminist artistic figure. Until January 21.
Château Dufresne Museum: “Nincheri. From the profane to the sacred »
Guido Nincheri was a painter-decorator, a fresco artist and a master glassmaker who created a number of works in the 20the century. He is even said to be the most prolific of his time. After studying in Florence, he settled in Montreal in 1914 and became a church decorator. Its magnificent stained glass windows still adorn beautiful places of worship in Quebec, Canada and even the United States. We also owe him the impressive secular frescoes and stained glass windows of the Château Dufresne in Montreal. To mark the 50the anniversary of the death of the man nicknamed here “the Michelangelo of Montreal”, the Château Dufresne is dedicating a temporary exhibition to him and, at the same time, inaugurating a new interactive audio tour. In addition to being able to admire his decorative art inside the walls of the castle, we will now be able to discover the artist, thanks to this exhibition which brings together around forty original works. Sketches, archival documents, artifacts and videos that highlight works of a religious nature, mainly produced in the Nincheri Studio, offered to the artist by the Dufresne brothers. Until June 30.
McCord Stewart Museum: “Wampum. Pearls of diplomacy »
A fascinating and unusual exhibition on wampum has just opened at the McCord Stewart Museum. Wampum are objects made of shell beads that were traded for more than two centuries between the indigenous nations of northeastern America as well as between indigenous nations and Europeans. Much more than simple jewelry, they constituted objects of diplomatic value between 1600 and 1800. “These objects bear witness to founding agreements. They allow us to better understand how alliances worked for two hundred years,” explains the museum’s commissioner and curator of indigenous cultures, Jonathan Lainey. This exhibition, which was developed in conjunction with the Musée du Quai Branly JacquesChirac in Paris, brings together more than 40 wampum necklaces — 13 of which come from the Museum’s collection — which constitutes a world first. We will also be able to admire other diplomatic objects linked to exchanges between peoples, such as clothing, books and old maps, tomahawks, moccasins and other ornaments. Until March 10.
Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art: “Velvet Terrorism. The Russia of Pussy Riot »
The MAC is hosting the North American premiere of a retrospective bringing together the last 10 years of activism by the Russian punk-rock group Pussy Riot. The feminist collective founded in Moscow in 2011 has become known around the world for its provocative and politically engaged performances, music and videos. The group quickly became the symbol of resistance to President Vladimir Putin’s totalitarianism. The exhibition, which opens on October 25, is intended to be a testimony to the non-violent actions taken by the members of the group and the reactions that followed from the authorities. The idea for the concept was born from the collaboration between Maria Alyokhina, a member of the Pussy Riot collective who was imprisoned for her activism in Russia, and the Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson. The project was initially presented at the Kling & Bang art space in Reykjavik and is now part of a world tour. The members of Pussy Riot were awarded this year’s Woody Guthrie Award, which honors the spirit of resistance embodied in music, literature, dance and other art forms. From October 25 until March 10.
Pointe-à-Callière: “St. Lawrence River. Echoes from the shores »
A new exhibition will soon be held at the Pointe-à-Callière museum and will focus on the third largest river in North America. Starting November 30, this trip proposed on the St. Lawrence River will also be a unique multisensory experience appealing to the sight, hearing, smell and even taste of the participants. The familiar waterway will reveal its many facets at ten fascinating stops. One of these will be organized in the form of a historical tour. Visitors will be able to discover more than 300 objects of art, models, diving suits, elements from wrecks and naval battles, as well as various navigation, fishing and marine exploration tools. Another component will consist of archive images, testimonies, interviews and projections, which will highlight the ecosystem that constitutes the river. An exhibition produced in collaboration with the Musée maritime du Québec. From November 30 to March 3.
Écomusée du fier monde: “Builders. 50 years of commitment by women from the Center-South »
For their 50e anniversary, the Centre-Sud Social Committee and the Montreal Women’s Education and Action Center (CEAF), two pioneering organizations in the community movement, have decided to present an exhibition on the women who marked their time through their commitment and their social struggle. From November 2, we will be able to discover 13 female builders who have advanced causes over the last 50 years. Thanks to their testimonies and a selection of archives, visitors will be immersed in their world and the socio-political context in which they lived. From access to social housing, to sexual violence against women and Indigenous rights, the issues these women are demanding are multiple and diverse. Among the activists selected for the exhibition, the best known are Widia Larivière, of the Idle no More movement, and Michèle Asselin, former president of the Fédération des femmes du Québec. From November 2 to March 3.
Armand-Frappier Health Museum: “Eat! The exhibition that nourishes »
This Laval museum dedicated to the field of health always offers interactive and fun content. His current exhibition focuses on the act of eating and also explores the link between well-being and food. It was carried out in collaboration with nutritionist Bernard Lavallée. The course, both fun and informative, is defined in 3 zones. The first, entitled “Nourishing the body”, focuses on the role of nutrients and how they are absorbed by the body. The second focuses on “The Pleasure of Eating”. It is in this part that young and old will be amazed by the sensory stimulations: the act of smelling, touching, seeing, but also tasting certain foods. The last part of the exhibition deals with a current subject: “Sustainable food”. Until September 2, 2024.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.