Newsletters

06 May 2025 40th Anniversary of Les Cent jours d’art contemporain de Montréal (1985–1996) and AURORA BOREALIS

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40th ANNIVERSARY

of the creation of

Les Cent jours d’art contemporain de Montréal (1985–1996)

and its exhibition,

AURORA BOREALIS

Betty Goodwin, Moving Towards Fire, 1985,
Oil pastels and acrylics in a 12.5m x 7m space.
Cent jours d’art contemporain – Montréal 85. Photo from Denis Farley.

1985 marked the first public event of the Centre international d’art contemporain de Montréal, which was founded in October 1983 by Claude Gosselin. After serving as Director of Exhibitions at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal from 1979 to 1983, Claude Gosselin was appointed Visual Arts Curator for Québec 84, the public corporation responsible for the event commemorating the 450th anniversary of Jacques Cartier’s arrival in Québec.

At the end of 1984, back in Montréal and drawing on his experience in Québec City, he sought to create a visual arts event that would complement the existing festivals in Montreal (theatre, film, dance). He founded Les Cent jours d’art contemporain de Montréal, a platform for visual arts.

Visual arts events generally means an exhibition. Claude Gosselin had one in mind that would include numerous artists. To bring it to life, he invited René Blouin and Normand Thériault—two major figures in Montreal contemporary art scene—to join him. Together, the three curators selected thirty established Canadian artists. The title of the exhibition, AURORA BOREALIS, was chosen by Normand Thériault.

But what made AURORA BOREALIS a milestone in the history of contemporary art in Canada?

Let’s revisit the uniqueness of this artistic event.

Read the full article
on the CIAC website at this address:

https://ciac.ca/en/40th-anniversary-of-cent-jours-dart-contemporain-de-montreal-and-aurora-borealis/

THE ARTS PAVILION AT CITÉ-DU-HAVRE

SUPPORT THE PROJECT ON CHANGE.ORG

To mark its 40th anniversary, CIAC embarks on another major project for the visual arts: THE ARTS PAVILION AT CITÉ-DU-HAVRE, MONTRÉAL. Find out more on the CIAC website.

It’s all about staying passionate.

We would be delighted to count you among our partners or allies by signing the register at this address and to talk about it to your friends:
https://chng.it/6Rj8KC7VXp

For full details of the Arts Pavilion at Cité-du-Havre, visit our website:
https://ciac.ca/en/arts-pavilion-at-cite-du-havre/

29 April 2025 Ciac unveils ambitious project : The Arts Pavilion at Cité-du-Havre

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Ciac unveils ambitious project

The Arts Pavilion at Cité-du-Havre

Claude Gosselin in front of the Musée d’art d’Expo 67, future Arts Pavilion of Cité-du-Havre

CIAC is pleased to announce the new project it has been working on for several months: the transformation of the former Musée d’art d’Expo 67 into an Arts Pavilion. Our project was unveiled in La Presse last Saturday, April 12. Read Mario Girard’s article:
Quel avenir pour un symbole d’Expo 67 ?
https://www.lapresse.ca/arts/chroniques/2025-04-12/quel-avenir-pour-un-symbole-d-expo-67.php
An english copy of the article is also available by clicking here.

This is precisely the future that Claude Gosselin and his team have in mind for the Arts Pavilion of Cité-du-Havre. The former Expo 67 art museum will return to its original vocation, offering the metropolis its first space dedicated to Les Automatistes’ legacy.

Inspired by major international cultural parks such as Parc Güell in Barcelona or the Jardin d’acclimatation (Fondation Louis Vuitton) in Paris, the verdant Cité-du-Havre site will be transformed into a veritable artistic hub in the heart of Montreal.

Would you like to support the project?
We would be delighted to count you among our partners or allies by signing the register at this address:
https://chng.it/6Rj8KC7VXp

For full details of the Arts Pavilion at Cité-du-Havre, visit our website: https://ciac.ca/en/arts-pavilion-at-cite-du-havre/

28 April 2025 Preserving and promoting heritage through requalification, an invitation from Héritage Montreal.

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Preserving and promoting heritage through requalification

An invitation from Héritage Montreal

We are sending you an invitation from Héritage Montréal to participate in a day of study and mobilization to safeguard and enhance heritage through requalification

Free activity presented as part of the 50th anniversary of Héritage Montréal

50 years ago, people mobilized against the massive demolition of our buildings and heritage sites. In 2025, although demolition is better contained, abandonment and degradation now appear as the main threats, in Montréal as elsewhere in Québec. In response, requalification emerges as an approach and strategy that must be better recognized and supported.

May 22, 2025 from 8 a.m. at Théâtre Rialto
5723 Av. du Parc, Montreal

DISCOVER THE DAY’S PROGRAM

A day of exchanges, conferences,
round tables and networking.

An event organized as part of Héritage Montréal’s 50ᵉ anniversary, made possible thanks to the support of the Government of Quebec, the City of Montreal and the Carosielli Group. Thank you for your support!

17 April 2025 Save the Vaillancourt Fountain. A monumental work at risk.

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Save the Vaillancourt Fountain

A monumental work at risk

La Vaillancourt Fountain (Québec Libre!) d’Armand Vaillancourt à San Francisco.

Claude Gosselin warmly invites you to sign this petition to save the Armand Vaillancourt Fountain in San Francisco. A monumental work by a giant and visionary artist.

Sign to protect a masterpiece of modern public art.

The following text is copied form the petition on change.org)

The Fondation Armand-Vaillancourt and RAAV are launching an urgent appeal to mobilize in the face of a redevelopment project for San Francisco’s Embarcadero Plaza, which directly threatens the Vaillancourt Fountain (Québec Libre!), an emblematic work by Quebec sculptor Armand Vaillancourt, created between 1967 and 1971.

This fountain is not just a monument of concrete and water: it is a living symbol of artistic daring, a cultural landmark for the citizens of San Francisco and a major milestone in the world’s artistic heritage. For over 50 years, it has defied the norms, crossed the eras and made Quebec creativity shine internationally.

Beyond its artistic and historical value, the Vaillancourt Fountain is omnipresent in the city’s collective imagination: it features in numerous tourist guides, films, video games and press articles, notably in Time Magazine. Featured in the Atlas of Brutalist Architecture (Phaedon,2018), it has been the scene of major events and performances, reinforcing its status as a cultural icon. A hotbed of controversy, it is an integral part of San Francisco’s history and identity.

To destroy the Vaillancourt Fountain is to erase an entire part of the city’s cultural history. It means depriving future generations of a work that continues to provoke, unite and inspire.

Today, at the age of 95, Armand Vaillancourt continues to create with inexhaustible militant energy. Let’s not let his legacy sink beneath the shovels of urban planning without memory.

SIGN THE PETITION

27 March 2025 The 1980’s. Revisiting Aurora Borealis. A Vox project. This Saturday, March 29 at 3:00 PM

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THE 1980’s. A VOX PROJECT

Revisiting AURORA BOREALIS

This Saturday, March 29 at 3:00 PM
at Théâtre Sainte-Catherine
64 Sainte-Catherine Street East.

Exhibition Catalogue, Aurora Borealis, 1985

The Aurora Borealis exhibition, produced by the Centre international d’art contemporain de Montréal in 1985, continues to resonate in the art world. This major event in Canadian contemporary art, curated by René Blouin, Claude Gosselin, and Normand Thériault, brought together more than 30 renowned artists at Place du Parc and marked a turning point for current curatorial practices. You can find the full catalogue online on our website.
https://ciac.ca/aurora-borealis-1985

Join curator Lisa Bouraly for her talk, Aurora Borealis et ses résonances actuelles, this Saturday, March 29, from 3:00 to 4:00 PM at Théâtre Sainte-Catherine, 264 Sainte-Catherine Street East.

This talk is part of the second roundtable of the scholar’s day organized by the VOX art center, as part of its exhibition 1985. Mondes-images, which explores the lasting impact of the 1980’s on today’s world.
https://centrevox.ca/en/events/round-tables-1985

27 March 2025 The Morgan’s store, now La Baie

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MAPPING THE AUTOMATISTS

THE MORGAN’S STORE, NOW LA BAIE

A HERITAGE SITE IN MONTREAL

Henry Morgan Building, 585 Sainte-Catherine Street West, built in 1891 by architect John Pearce Hill. Photo: Archives de la Ville de Montréal, March 30, 1936.

La Baie’s long and storied legacy is coming to an end. Founded in 1845 in Montreal by Henry Morgan and David Smith, the Morgan’s store (now La Baie), located at 585 Sainte-Catherine Street West since 1891, is an iconic Montreal store known for its economic and cultural activities.

Paul-Émile Borduas held two exhibitions there: from May 16 to 29, 1941, and from April 23 to May 4, 1946. You can find more information about these exhibitions as part of our project “Mapping the Automatists in Montreal” on our website.

Click here to read the article

For more information on La Baie, we invite you to explore the note from Héritage Montréal and the interview with Dinu Bumbaru:

Click here to listen to the interview

26 February 2025 Daily Tous Les Jours at the National Gallery of Canada

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DAILY TOUS LES JOURS

AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF CANADA

We are pleased to share the latest work Spaghetti Chorus by the collective Daily Tous Les Jours, currently on display in the Scotiabank Great Hall of the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, running until March 30. The artist duo, composed of Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat, presents a communication device using luminous threads, where voices become music and light. (https://www.gallery.ca/whats-on/calendar/spaghetti-chorus)

Daily Tous Les Jours, Chœur Spaghetti | Musée des beaux-arts du Canada

Melissa Mongiat took part in the 2009 Montreal Biennale with an interactive installation, La Conspiration du Bien. This work unfolded along Saint-Laurent Boulevard and within the former École Bourget, on De la Montagne Street, which served as the headquarters for that year’s BNL MTL.

Curator: Claude Gosselin (https://ciac.ca/documents/BNL-MTL/2009/fr/melissa-mongiat.html).

The installation invited citizens to become active participants, engaging as “conspirators” by sharing messages of hope. Melissa Mongiat sought to instill an essential optimism in her hometown. We have fond memories of this piece, which garnered widespread public engagement.

Since the formation of Daily Tous Les Jours in 2010, their large-scale international projects have cultivated this playful and dynamic approach to public spaces. Their installations offer individuals the opportunity to inhabit these contested areas with hope.

La Conspiration du Bien – Boul. Saint-Laurent – Avril 2009 | Photo : Martine Frossard – BNL MTL 2009

26 February 2025 Passing of Stéfane Foumy (1932-2025)

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PASSING OF STÉFANE FOUMY (1932-2025)

It is with deep regret that we inform you of the death of Stéfane Foumy, who passed away on February 12.

A distinguished businessman and esteemed philanthropist, he dedicated himself to the advancement of the arts, notably through the Stéfane Foumy Foundation, administered by the Foundation of Greater Montreal. His unwavering commitment provided invaluable support to numerous cultural organizations.

This past fall, CIAC had the pleasure of collaborating with Mr. Foumy on the publication of an interview between art historian Abigail Susik and Françoise Sullivan (https://ciac.ca/francoise-sullivan-un-entretien-avec-abigail-susik/).

Details regarding the funeral service will be announced shortly.

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/en-ca/obituaries/montreal-qc/stefane-foumy-12250835

05 February 2025 Death of Jacques Lamoureux and Jacques Cleary

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DEATH OF JACQUES LAMOUREUX (1934 – 2024)

WE REGRET TO ANNOUNCE THE PASSING OF JACQUES LAMOUREUX, ON DECEMBER 29, 2024.

Jacques Lamoureux was passionate about architecture and photography. He was a film critic and worked at Société Radio-Canada from 1961 to 1991.

Jacques was an actor in the video production, Monsieur et Monsieur, by artist John Bock, participating artist in the 2011 Biennale de Montréal (curator: Claude Gosselin). Although not a professional actor, Jacques Lamoureux generously agreed to follow John Bock’s instructions and take part in a demanding performance with his accomplice Ed Kostiner. We have very fond memories of this unique and original production.

You can see the film Monsieur et Monsieur, by John Bock, by clicking on the following link:

https://jsfoundation.art/videos/john-bock-monsieur-et-monsieur-2011

(Courtesy of Julia Stoschek Foundation)

DEATH OF JACQUES CLEARY (1945 – 2024)

Jacques Cleary passed away on December 1. Jacques held many important positions with cultural organizations in Quebec. He was General Director and Secretary of the Conseil des arts de la Communauté urbaine de Montréal and Secretary of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.

We enjoyed excellent relations with him, facilitated by his generosity and willingness to share. He will be sorely missed.

Claude Gosselin, C.M.

26 November 2024 Documentary Film : Claude Gosselin, Témoignage À Bâtons Rompus

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DOCUMENTARY FILM :

CLAUDE GOSSELIN, TÉMOIGNAGE À BÂTONS ROMPUS

A film BY mario côté.

Many of you have asked for access to the film produced by Mario Côté about CIAC and Claude Gosselin. You can now access a free screening of the first part of the documentary (26 min. out of a total running time of 58 min.) by clicking on the following link:

https://vimeo.com/1008411638

To obtain the full version of the documentary, please contact Mario Côté at: cotemario29@bell.net

Purchase price for private broadcast: $35.
Institutional purchase price: variable, to be discussed.

The documentary reveals the exceptional contribution made by Les Cent jours d’art contemporain de Montréal (1985 to 1996) and La Biennale de Montréal (1998 to 2011). Founder and general director Claude Gosselin describes the genesis of these events, which were original in that they were presented in unusual and unconventional venues. He explains how these very events allowed numerous curators to imagine prestigious exhibitions, both in terms of museology and the artistic and aesthetic issues of the time.

These events, which took place for almost thirty years, left their mark on people’s imaginations. A new public was introduced to contemporary art, and discovered artists who were recognized, and sometimes little-known, but who would go on to become major players on the artistic scene.