The Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC) announced this week that it had accepted the offers received for the first stages of its transformation project valued at 116.5 million. The full reopening of the museum is now planned for 2028.
Last fall’s call for tenders only concerns the first four lots of the project – out of around twenty -, said the president of the MAC board of directors, Claudie Imbleau-Chagnon, during a short interview. with The Press.
“Considering the overheating of the construction market, we agreed with the various public partners of the MAC that we were going to relaunch the call for tenders with the critical lots,” explained Mr.me Imbleau-Chagnon.
We are essentially talking about the “partial demolition” of the current building, the installation of the “steel structure, formwork and concreting as well as structural reinforcement”. The preparatory work inside has begun, tells us the president of the MAC board, who hopes for a complete reopening of the museum in 2028.
The first phases, including the partial demolition of the building, will begin at the end of March and will be visible to people passing by Place des Arts.
Claudie Imbleau-Chagnon, president of the MAC board of directors
The MAC will make several calls for tenders for the remaining 15 to 20 lots over the coming months. “The first time, we went to a call for tenders with all the lots, this time, we are proceeding in small steps, while being realistic with the MAC schedule,” adds M.me Imbleau-Chagnon.
It was the Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI), which manages the transformation project, which recommended that the MAC proceed in this way, said the president of the MAC board.
The 116.5 million project is financed by the Ministry of Culture and Communications (55 million), Canadian Heritage (50 million) as well as the MAC Foundation (11.5 million). The plans were produced in 2017 by the architectural firms Saucier+Perrotte and GLCRM Architectes.
Even if the new building will double its surface area, the surface area of the exhibition halls of the new MAC will only increase by 28%, according to the construction program that The Press obtained a few months ago thanks to the Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies and the protection of personal information.
The SQI had carried out a first call for tenders in 2022 with a budget of 85.3 million, but had to interrupt the process after receiving the offers from seven lots given that they exceeded “by more than 50%” the MAC forecasts, according to what outgoing general manager John Zeppetelli told us.
Until the museum reopens in 2028, most of the MAC’s permanent collection – which includes around 8,000 works – is locked in a wing of the current building and therefore remains inaccessible. The Museum of Contemporary Art has rented premises at Place Ville Marie since 2021 where it continues to present exhibitions.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The outgoing Executive Director and Chief Curator, John Zeppetelli, will remain in office until his replacement is appointed.
The estate of John Zeppetelli
The MAC’s executive director and chief curator, John Zeppetelli, announced last December his intention to leave his position, which he held for 10 years, “to explore new possibilities.”
In his departure speech, he announced that he would leave “in 2024”, without further details.
Claudie Imbleau-Chagnon confirmed to us that the recruitment process to find John Zeppetelli’s replacement has begun.
“John Zeppetelli is going to be with us until the new person arrives. We will post the position internally and externally in the coming weeks, she said. There is also a posting in the Government of Quebec, with senior positions, since it is an appointment by the Council of Ministers. »
The president of the CA will therefore make a recommendation to the government, which will have the final say on the person who will succeed Mr. Zeppetelli.