This text is part of the special section Museums
If the temporary star exhibitions attract their flood of visitors, the permanent collections of the museums of Quebec are also worth the detour. Overview of the essentials of the national capital.
National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec
There’s plenty to explore for days at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ), whose vast national collection brings together 42,000 works by Quebec artists, from the era of New France to the present day.
A dozen exhibitions designed by grouping part of this collection by theme are currently accessible. Several of these themes refer the visitor to actions, such as Claim, To feel, To imagine Where To believe.
With Claimfor example, we discover works envisaged from the angle of social art, modernity, manifestos such as Global denialand the renewal that artists such as Paul-Émile Borduas or Albert Dumouchel brought to painting in the first half of the 20th century.and century.
The exhibition To believefor its part, is devoted to the XVIIand century, largely dominated by religious art, with sculptures by François Baillargé, among others. Many religious objects, such as the sumptuous basin of the former pulpit of the church of Baie-Saint-Paul, are included.
The exhibition From Ferron to BGL is devoted to contemporary art in Quebec from 1960. It presents 80 works by key artists such as Marcelle Ferron, Guido Molinari and Claude Tousignant, among others.
You won’t want to leave the MNBAQ without seeing the exhibition of Inuit art from the impressive Brousseau collection, which allows you to see sculptures from the last 60 years in a scenography inspired by northern landscapes.
Design lovers will find their account with the exhibition Quebec decorative arts and designwhich brings together 145 objects by a hundred artists, from the 1950s to today, including furniture, posters and various utilitarian or decorative objects ranging from teapots to snowboarding helmets.
Finally, two monumental works from the permanent collection are worth the detour on their own: these are of course Tribute to Rosa LuxembourgJean-Paul Riopelle, and The Flux and the Puddleby sculptor David Altmejd.
Civilization Museum
Since its opening, the permanent exhibition The time of Quebecers of the Musée de la civilisation, which was renewed in 2017, is experienced as a journey through time through the magic of traditional objects, archival documents and films. A real must for better understanding the history and culture of Quebec, it is also available in virtual form.
Presenting a completely different point of view, the exhibition This is our story – First Nations and Inuit of the 21stand century, invites visitors to discover the history of the 11 Aboriginal peoples of Quebec, to which 800 people from 18 communities have contributed. Together, they reflect on what it means to be Aboriginal in Quebec today. A collection of 450 objects, including works of contemporary Aboriginal art.
Those visiting the museum with family will also want to stop to see Observe, the confusing exhibition! which invites you to use your five senses and your faculties of observation to avoid traps and solve fun challenges.