Renowned oenologist thanks to his aromatic science of molecular harmonies which leads him to collaborate with researchers, chefs and companies from all over the planet, François Chartier announces “the project of a lifetime”: an unprecedented partnership with the National Museum of Beaux-Arts du Québec to create a unique olfactory experience around Tribute to Rosa Luxemburgmonumental fresco by Riopelle.
It is at the top of the future Espace Riopelle, whose opening is scheduled for late 2025 or early 2026, that the public will be able to live this experience by admiring the masterful work acquired in 1996 by the MNBAQ, the most imposing ever. by Riopelle, totaling more than 40 meters in length. The Quebec painter had begun the realization of what many consider his work-testament in 1992, at his studio on Île-aux-Oies, after learning of the death of his former partner Joan Mitchell.
The partnership, announced this Monday between the MNBAQ and François Chartier, is not fortuitous. The internationally renowned sommelier, who has lived in Barcelona for several years, knew the painter well in the 90s, when he worked at Clef des Champs, then at the Bistro in Champlain, in the Laurentians, where Riopelle had his habits. .
“I had always secretly dreamed of doing something with this incredible work, which lives in me. I knew Riopelle when he painted the “Rosa”, I saw it exhibited in Mont-Rolland in 1993 in the basement of the church, behind closed doors”, recalls the man, passing through the metropolis for a whirlwind visit.
About a year ago, François Chartier realized that the stars were converging, especially with the 100e anniversary of the painter’s birth and the 75th anniversary of the Refus global which will be celebrated this year. He contacted Huguette Vachon, the painter’s former spouse, who put him in touch with the Riopelle Foundation and ultimately the MNBAQ.
A bit like he did in 2018 with Smell to see Picassopartnership with the Picasso Museum in Barcelona for the exhibition In Picasso’s kitchenChartier will put its aromatic science at the service of art, in order to offer a unique olfactory experience to visitors to Espace Riopelle, a pavilion dedicated to Jean Paul Riopelle where visitors can admire the largest public collection of works by the painter. , and whose preparatory work has just begun.
PHOTO YAN DOUBLET, THE SUN
François Chartier will imagine an olfactory experience around the fresco Tribute to Rosa Luxemburg.
Resfeel Riopelle
François Chartier does not yet know exactly what form this unique experience will take, and which will be permanently integrated into Espace Riopelle. Recently, he was able to go to the painter’s studio and collect samples of paint, aerosols, oils, markers… He intends to analyze everything with a sophisticated technique called mass spectrometry, thanks to which he will be able to identify their dominant aromatic molecules. .
“From that, I can find ingredients in nature that have the same molecules. But will we necessarily use that, I don’t know! Rosa Luxemburg has so much to say and there are so many ways to express and interpret the work, that right now, we’re putting everything on the table. Next, sky is the limit ! “, he says, seated for a quick lunch at the restaurant L’Express.
Aromas, notes Chartier, have this power, even without our knowledge, to disconnect us from reality, to transport from the visible to the invisible. By offering this olfactory experience, the creator of molecular harmonies wishes to make this work resonate and feel in a new way among visitors.
This announcement also marks Chartier’s return to Quebec, at least in part, as he plans to open a branch of his Chartier World LAB in Quebec City this spring, founded in Barcelona two years ago, where he shares his aromatic science with different customers and partners.