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More footage from a long time ago of famous painters in action.
All posts by zeke
Emmanuel Galland and Nicolas Mavrikakis are elitist bullies
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It was over almost before it started. Last week there was a press conference about André Desjardins and the Academy of Fine Art Foundation‘s donating a sculpture to Montreal that was going to be installed in the Olympic Park. The following day Nicolas Mavrikakis wrote an article questioning M. Desjardins’ artistic capabilities, the only reason I can think of why M. Mavrikakis didn’t call M. Desjardins a hack, is because I don’t think there is any word in the French language for it. The following day Emmanuel Galland wrote an open letter in Le Devoir (who should know better) going even further and questioning the motives of the donation as well as the quality of the art.
Well, on Friday M. Desjardins decided that he didn’t need any of the controversy, and asked the people donating the sculpture to not do so.
Obviously the lutte contre l’intimidation hasn’t made it here, yet. Which is kind of a pity, because Hochelaga-Maisonneuve could definitely use some public art.
The Art Actuel Centre Ville Map of Contemporary Art in Montreal
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I’ve seen some banners on lampposts over town advertising artactuelcentreville.com. I kept trying to remember to see what it was about, but somehow it took me a good year (at least) before I came across one of their maps at Vox, and stuck it in my pocket as a mnemonic aid – note to self, banners on lampposts are not a very good way to publicize websites.
I think it was something started by Artexte, and professes to be, In their own words, an “essential tool for locating downtown Montreal’s many contemporary art venues…”
Can you say, in my words, “No,” “Major Fail,” and “Embarrassingly Bad”?
Yup, that’s right, according to Artexte (who should know better) and GreenCopper, the folk who designed it, there are only eight (8), yes that’s right, two more than half-a-dozen, places and 24 art venues exhibiting contemporary art in downtown Montreal (and they’ve even gone so far as to include one place in Old Montreal, too)
Somehow, they think that Galerie A. B., Galerie Lilian Rodriguez, Maison Kasini, Espace Robert Poulin, Galerie Pangée, Galerie [sas], Galerie Luz, Galerie d’art contemporain Visual Voice, Arprim, Galerie Roger Bellemare, Le 514, Galerie Piccini da Todi, Galerie Nicolas Robert and Les Territoires do not exhibit contemporary art.
I won’t even mention that somehow they believe that downtown Montreal starts at Saint Alexandre street and only goes as far east as Berri. But to make things even more egregious, they do include a bookstore and a cinema, and administrative offices for a Cultural NGO, none of which (as far as I know) have ever shown any contemporary art ever. For a place that has as a mandate “the advancement of the visual arts through reliable information sources” this is a gross abdication of their responsibilities, made worse because they used public money to make it. Public money for the arts from the Federal Government for which I am certain there are many, if not tons of other organizations and artists that could have used it, and put it to much better use.
Annie Pootoogook, Norval Morrisseau redux
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This kind of sucks. You’d figure that the Canadian art world is socially aware, slightly progressive and forward thinking. But obviously it ain’t. If you’re too lazy to click on the applicable links, over the weekend the Ottawa Citizen reported that Annie Pootoogook was homeless and five-months pregnant. While I don’t think Mr. Morrisseau was ever pregnant, the stories of him selling drawings dirt cheap on the street when he was homeless are legend. I presumed that stuff like that no longer happened here. Obviously I was wrong.
How difficult would it be for someone like Patricia Feheley, Pierre Francois Ouellette, Clint Roenisch, Jessica Bradley, Katherine Mulherin, Jamie Angell, Joyce Yahouda, Pierre Trahan, Nick Tedeschi, André Laroche and Louis Joncas, Simon Blais or any of the numerous other gallerists, art dealers and art gallery owners who all have a roof over their head and/or were at the Sobey Art Award Gala when Annie Pootoogook won the big prize to get together to not only buy her drawings, but authenticate them as well and then more importantly, get her help. Whether that’s something as simple as buying her drawings so that she can afford an apartment, or finding some professional who knows the ins and outs of addiction.
24% isn’t good, even if it is Wine Spectator
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The SAQ is getting all jiggy because they have 24 of the top 100 wines from Wine Spectator on sale. I would like to know where I have to go to get the other 76?
And some dissenting opinions about those 24 as well.
Lots and lots of stolen Molinari paintings
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I (unfortunately) have another stolen art alert, again without an awful lot of details. I’ve emailed some people asking for details, but I’m not holding my breath. At some time, somebody or people stole eight paintings by Guido Molinari. I do not know if they were all stolen at the same time and from the same place or even if they were stolen by the same person (or people). Nor do I know when they were stolen, and I can’t even venture a guess as to what their value is.
All are by Guido Molinari and as per normal, if you have any information about their whereabouts, call 911. Or email art.alert@surete.qc.ca.
Some potentially good things to see in Montreal this weekend
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Popular Unrest, by Melanie Gilligan at Vox until August 11.
Normand Hudon at the Centre culturel de Verdun until August 31.
Christine Sioui-Wawanoloath at the Canadian Guild of Crafts until August 11.
Mark you calendars now
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On August 16, slightly less than a month from today there is going to be a round table discussion with Simon Rivest, Laurent Vernet, Gilles Daigneault and Nicolas Mavrikakis at the Maison de la culture du Plateau-Mont-Royal at 5:30 in the afternoon on Public Art in Montreal. More details here.
See you there.
Everything you need to know about donating a sculpture to the city
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Everything you need to know about donating art to the city can now conveniently be found in one place.
How they came about to make it can be found here.
And I am particulalry interested in knowing who was on the committee that decided to accept André Desjardins and the Academy of Fine Art Foundation‘s donation last week. Or because it’s on provincial land, do the rules not apply?
[EDIT: It seems that there is a tempest in a teapot brewing over the Desjardins Scuplture. In today’s Le Devoir, there is both an article and an open letter to Christine St-Pierre, the minister of Culture about the “donation.”]
Les enjeux by Michel Goulet
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More Michel Goulet sculptures. On Saint Denis in front of the Theatre d’Aujourd’hui.
