The history of Montreal may not be as grandiose as that of Paris or Rome, but the Pointe-à-Callière Museum is deeply convinced that the metropolis can have something interesting to tell. It is in this spirit that the establishment has decided for its 30and anniversary to present often quite unusual objects that he has accumulated over the years in connection with Montreal. A pretext to learn more about lesser-known parts of our history, but also an opportunity to recall certain memories.
“We have a permanent exhibition that tells the story of Montreal and in which we present a lot of archaeological objects. But we realized that we had a large collection of ethnohistorical objects and that we had never presented a temporary exhibition dedicated to it, ”says Christine Dufresne, Director of Exhibitions-Technologies and Multimedia at Pointe-à – Calliere.
For the exhibition “Coup de coeur! Our collections are on display”, the museum chose 400 objects that it considered worthy of mention among the 40,000 that were dormant in its inventory. Some have been part of previous exhibitions, others are exhibited for the first time.
Nothing out of the ordinary, but certain winks are rather well sent, such as an old pair of glasses that belonged to former mayor Jean Drapeau, a hat worn by Louis-Joseph Papineau or the dishes at the effigy of the fleur-de-lis that Maurice Duplessis had commissioned for the restaurant of the National Assembly.
A smile
Music lovers will no doubt also smile when they see the original poster for Nirvana’s famous show at Les Foufounes Electriques on September 21, 1991. At the time, Kurt Cobain and his band were illustrious strangers and in this half-empty room , nothing could let predict that the trio of Seattle would become in the space of a few weeks one of the mythical groups of its generation.
In this exhibition, it is often the story behind the object that is interesting, more than the object itself. Pointe-à-Callière, for example, recently acquired a wide range of catalogs and clothing from the Dupuis Frères store, now Place Dupuis.
First major store owned by French Canadians in the mid-19and century, at a time when Anglophones dominated the economic life of the metropolis, Dupuis Frères will also have innovated by settling on Sainte-Catherine Street.
In 1868, the “Saint-Cath” was far from being the shopping street that we know today, and the shops were concentrated in the Old Montreal area.
“We may not have very, very old excavations, but I still think we have a wonderful history. Montreal is a city of encounters, multicultural, open to the world, which is always enriched over time,” enthuses Christine Dufresne, quite proud of the exhibition on which she worked.
Divided into 20 thematic segments — such as sport, culture, Expo 67 or even the construction of the Victoria Bridge — “Coup de coeur! Our collections are on display” will appeal to the whole family with its lively paintings suitable for toddlers.
The exhibition thus kicks off the 30th anniversary of the Pointe-à-Callière museum, which opened its doors in 1992 for the celebrations of the 350 in Montreal.
For the occasion, moreover, the museum offers the annual subscription at 30 dollars, the opportunity to rediscover the archaeological remains in the basement or to visit the other seasonal exhibitions during the year.