This text is part of the Summer of Museums special booklet
Starting this spring, major exhibitions are on view at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec and the Musée de la civilization de Québec.
National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec
America. Between dreams and realities
One hundred years of American art history: this is the ambitious exhibition presented from June 9 at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ). Nearly a hundred works — paintings, sculptures, photos and videos — make up this century-old retrospective, which begins during the Great Depression and ends in modern times.
“It’s a fireworks display of works of art,” says Annie Gauthier, director of exhibitions and international partnerships at the MNBAQ. And this is the result of discussions between our curator and that of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, in Washington. Big names like Jackson Pollock, Louise Bourgeois, Edward Hopper, Willem de Kooning and Andy Warhol are among the 80 artists in this prestigious selection.
The idea of this exhibition is to translate the impact of the socio-cultural history of the United States on the art of the XXand century to the present day. An audioguide will enlighten the visitor on the social and historical issues of the United States — multiculturalism, feminism, racism — and on the collective perception of the territory. This exhibition is presented until September 5, 2022.
How’s it going ?
This formula of politeness, almost banal by dint of being posed as a principle, has never had so much resonance after two years of pandemic. This exhibition of 26 engravings highlighting the benefits of art and creativity on our mental, emotional and physical health is organized by the MNBAQ in collaboration with three community organizations.
The artistic testimony of Clément Gravel (alias “Papy”) serves as a narrative framework to illustrate the link between art and well-being. He started painting in 2016, while he was at the bedside of his sick wife, and he hasn’t stopped since using his art as an outlet for his emotions. “Her touching testimony echoes our own reflection on old age, loneliness and sadness,” says Annie Gauthier, of the MNBAQ. This exhibition is presented until January 2023 in the passage Riopelle of the museum.
In addition to the exhibition, a selection of Quebec works of art from the MNBAQ (Velvet tours) is presented on May 14 and 28 as an immersion in contemplation and introspection.
Menm vye tintin. possible lives
For his first solo museum exhibition, the visual artist Stanley February presents a series of sculptures, drawings and installations that explore the human suffering that marks the societies of the modern world.
The Haitian-born Canadian artist works around his favorite themes of police brutality, mass migration, the environmental crisis, and overconsumption. This brilliant retrospective of his years of creation shows the remarkable commitment of Stanley Juillet and the faith he places in art as a factor of social transformation. Visitors are invited to leave a trace of their passage by writing their own thoughts on a wall at the exit of the exhibition. This exhibition is presented until October 16, 2022.
Quebec Museum of Civilization
Pompeii. immortal city
Roman civilization at its height is at the heart of this immersive exhibition, presented at the Musée de la civilization de Québec (MCQ). More than a hundred artefacts and four casts of petrified bodies are exhibited there. Through the story of fictional inhabitants of Pompeii, the visitor explores the sophisticated way of life and the technological prowess of this vast city, just before its destruction following the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. J.- C.
This exhibition, which is aimed at everyone, was designed from the scientific project of the Galileo Museum in Florence in partnership with the National Archaeological Museum of Naples and the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, and has been adapted for the MCQ. It is presented until September 11, 2022.
On the sidelines of this exhibition, the Investigation in Pompeii activity offers visitors the opportunity to solve an enigma using techniques inspired by archaeology. Offered free of charge continuously, every 15 minutes, until September 11, 2022. Also: a series of lectures entitled Living in Pompeii will be presented to the public on May 24 and June 21, at 1 p.m.
Oh shit!
A taboo subject if ever there was one, feces are the subject of this ambitious exhibition currently on display at the Musée de la civilization in Québec.
From a societal and anthropological angle, the exhibition explores the link that we have with our intimate dejections in cultures and civilizations. From public latrines to commodes, including the very first individual toilets, Oh shit! reviews the devices designed over time to relieve our natural needs.
Even more, it rehabilitates excrement as an inexhaustible source of energy and a powerful natural fertilizer. The exhibition ends in the stool recycling area, dedicated to the biomethanization process that transforms our vulgar organic waste into manure, the fertilizer that allows them to enter the ecological cycle. This exhibition is presented until March 26, 2023.
A series of podcasts, Tales of 1001 shitsis also offered online around topics related to poo.
For the whole family
Observe. The exhibition that confuses!
Designed for a young audience, this playful and interactive exhibition by the MCQ dissects the observation of the outside world through all the senses. Disoriented visitors are invited to experience new physical sensations thanks to a series of “tests” to go through: dark room, optical illusions, forest of mirrors and other destabilizing paths. An experiential and funny exhibition that allows you to see the world from a different perspective. This is presented until March 26, 2023.
My house
From the end of May, this youth exhibition will replace the famous costume workshops at the Musée de la civilisation. “The ordinary is extraordinary”: this is the leitmotif of this strange house inhabited by curious birds which set the poetic tone. Children from 3 to 8 years old will be able to manipulate the objects and circulate as they wish through the different rooms of this replica of a house.
“Through these places of life, interaction and contemplation arouse discovery, astonishment, involvement of the body, explains Agnès Dufour, of the MCQ. What’s more, they allow intergenerational dialogue and collaboration with peers. » Fictional characters, background noises and unusual settings are sprinkled throughout this domestic exploration which offers children a first museum experience, designed just for them. This exhibition is presented from May 29.