An amicable agreement – undisclosed – was reached between the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and its former director general and chief curator, Nathalie Bondil, who had sued, in 2020, the chairman of the board of directors of the museum, Michel de la Chenelière, as well as the 21 members of the CA, claiming one million in moral damages and one million in punitive damages.
Posted at 11:15 a.m.
Dismissed by the Board of Directors of the MMFA on July 14, 2020, Nathalie Bondil asked that the 22 administrators of the museum be ordered to pay her damages “for unlawful and intentional attacks on her fundamental rights to safeguard her dignity, honor and reputation,” the legal document read.
In her lawsuit, the former director of the museum claimed that the administrators “orchestrated, led and continue to lead, intentionally, a campaign of smearing and destruction of [sa] reputation for the sole purpose of hiding the real reason that led them to [la] dismiss, i.e. the refusal to publicly endorse the irregular process that led to the hiring of the MMFA’s director of conservation [Mary-Dailey Desmarais]. »
Since then, the lawyers of Mme Bondil and those of the Board of the MMFA were in discussion to avoid a lawsuit. Friday, at 3:45 p.m., in a press release sent to CNW, the MMFA announced an “agreement between Mrs. Nathalie Bondil and members and former members of the board of directors of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts”. The press release contains a number of clarifications.
He states that “in the fall of 2019, seized of serious allegations concerning the deterioration of the working climate, the board of directors of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts retained the services of an independent and specialized firm to analyze the situation. Although the report produced by this firm made a number of recommendations relating to the work environment, Ms. Bondil, for her part, was not personally targeted by any allegation of harassment contained in the complaint and she wished, like the CA of the Museum, that this situation be resolved. »
The press release continues by stating: “Although in disagreement with Mrs. Bondil’s approach to the management of this situation, the Board of the Museum did not question, moreover, her professionalism and her deep and sincere commitment to the Museum. . The Museum’s Board notes that during the period in question, which coincided with the crisis management linked to the pandemic, Madame Bondil worked tirelessly to protect the institution and secure jobs. »
The MMFA “thanks Ms. Bondil for the important artistic achievements she accomplished with the remarkable teams she led during the many years she devoted to the Museum, including the major development of the collections, the international influence of the exhibitions, the expansions of the pavilion of Quebec and Canadian art in 2011, the pavilion for Peace in 2016, the Tout-Monde wing in 2019 as well as the exceptional development of educational, social, inclusive and therapeutic actions. The Museum is convinced that Madame Bondil will continue to share her talents with art lovers, particularly at the Institut du monde arabe in Paris. »
For her part, Nathalie Bondil speaks in the press release, recalling that she was deeply “attached to Montrealers”. She “thanks the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and all its teams, the City of Montreal, Quebec and Canada for their support for so many years. Although I have been deeply hurt, I know that this situation has also been difficult for all parties involved, in particular for the employees of the Museum. I wish the best of success to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for the future: Thank you for all these extraordinary years. »
The MMFA and Mme Bondil have decided not to grant an interview, particularly regarding the financial terms of the agreement. Of Canadian and French nationality, Nathalie Bondil, who now lives in Paris, enjoys a satisfactory professional influence there.
Last May, she became director of the Museum and Exhibitions Department at the Arab World Institute. Two months later, she was appointed by the French Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, President of the Scientific and Cultural Artistic Council of the Cité de la Céramique – Sèvres et Limoges. Created in 2010, this prestigious institution brings together the Sèvres Porcelain Factory, the National Ceramics Museum and the Adrien Dubouché National Museum in Limoges.