Marc Gauthier

The New York Times published a nice post by sculptor Ahmad Fadam on the state of public art in Iraq. Although it is mainly pessimistic, there was a more optimistic post on an art gallery in Baghdad last year. I wonder what type of art Ahmed Fadam does since I couldn’t find any on the Internet. [seen on MAN]

In a previous post, I wondered about the absence of museums in Quebec in the top 121 global temporary exhibitions. [Read the post here]

I contacted the four largest museums in Quebec in terms of attendance. The Museum of Contemporary Art has been prompt and succinct in its reply.

[source : Wikipedia]

On April 15th, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts replied. Suzanne Le Blanc, head of public relations, wrote to me. Let me take a moment here to thank her for her response.

According to Ms. Le Blanc, the Journal des Arts usually questions them on new acquisitions. Traffic statistics are provided to Art Newspapers. According to this publication, the most popular exhibition of the MMFA would have been, in 2007, Once Upon A Time: Disney, with a daily average of 1,788 visitors.

Unfortunately, this average doesn’t place the exhibition in the top 121 of the Journal des Arts. As it is, the last position had a daily average of 2000 visitors.

Oh my! Art lovers visiting Montreal, where are you? Where do you hide? Dublin (1.6 million), Amsterdam (1.4 million inhabitants) and Vienna (339000 inhabitants) all fared better…

I include the mail of Ms. Le Blanc [originally in French, my translation]:

“Mr. Gauthier,

I would first like to thank you for the interest you have shown toward the Museum of Fine Arts.

Our institution has issued a press release every year on the overall attendance for the press. The attendance figures are also sent to the American Association of Museums, which publishes an annual report attendance.

What the Journal des Arts asks us as a general rule only affects acquisitions. But we will, however, contact them for the next list of temporary exhibitions. We also send the data to ArtNewspapers which publishes an annual list of the most visited exhibits. These figures are also available to all media that call for information on this subject.

It should be noted that the Museum of Fine Arts in 2007-2008 saw the highest attendance in its history: 636,219 visitors passed its doors between April 1, 2007 and March 31, 2008. This attendance record is mainly due to the success of public exhibitions Once upon a time : Disney and ¡Cuba! Art and History from 1868 to the present day, of course, but especially for the event “free fall” at MMFA which has exceeded all expectations. Thought by the new management, under the leadership of Nathalie Bondil, the free entrance offered this season has attracted some 270,000 visitors between September and December 2007. It was a way to put the museum in the heart of the city and recall that its permanent collection, which has about 35000 works, is always free access as well as many cultural activities proposed. These figures were issued including in the daily newspaper La Presse and Radio-Canada.

It goes without saying that we are all very proud of these results. I would also take this opportunity to invite you to see the exhibition ¡Cuba! Art and History from 1868 to the present day opresented until June 8. The exhibition continues to be a major success.

Yours very sincerely,

Suzanne Le Blanc
Head of public relations
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts”

[St.Vincent de Paul Church, Québec City]

Montreal daily Le Devoir said today that the facade of the St. Vincent de Paul Chruch would be saved from destruction. The agreement in principle between Jaro hotels and Culture Minister Christine St-Pierre provides for the integration of the facade to the future hotel project.

The Jaro chain, who owns several properties in the Quebec City area, has been given a frown and a disapproving look. In Quebec City, no one messes with heritage protection!

I recently received my invitation to attend the inauguration of the exhibition Or des Amériques [Gold in the Americas] presented at the Museum of Civilization in Quebec City. The event will take place on April 29, 2008.

This topic is probably worthwhile politically because the Premier of Quebec Jean Charest, the Minister of Culture Christine St. Pierre and the Minister of Natural Resources Claude Béchard will be present. Add to these honourables the chairman of the C.A. and the executive director of the museum, and that makes a lot of beautiful people.

The invitation card was particularly successful. On the cover, we find golden stones that look like nuggets of gold.

Since the slogan is “All that glitters is not gold” and since the firm Alcoa is one of the sponsors of the exhibition, I suppose those are golden aluminium nuggets. At the time of writing of this post, aluminium sells for about $ 3 per kilo. So I wanted to know the value of my nuggets.

Unfortunately, the weight is so small that my balance did not even register a figure. Sigh.

The exhibition Or des Amériques [Gold in the Americas] will run from April 30, 2008 to January 11, 2009. The theme of the exhibition is still vague:

“The very symbol of national wealth, gold has long been considered the ultimate precious metal. This exhibition will take visitors on a fascinating journey into the lives of the peoples of the Americas. ” [Source]

I suppose that the Museum’s Web site will be updated as soon as the exhibition is inaugurated.

I posted a note yesterday on the top 121 temporary exhibitions and the absence of Quebec museums. [Read the post here]

The first institution to answer me - and fairly quickly in fact - was the Museum of Contemporary Art in Montreal. Ah! Lovers of contemporary art, they understand quickly new means of communication! Anyhoo.

Eric Bilodeau, from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Montreal, says:

“No, we have never been approached by the magazine. Too sad! “

I share his disappointment.

[Tokyo National Museum; picture: Wikipedia]

Currently on sale, French biweekly Le Journal des Arts publishes a list of the most visited temporary exhibits of 2007. What is surprising is that none of the Quebec museums managed to break into the top 121. In the mean time, the Royal Ontario Museum has three shows in the list.

This disappointing result for Quebec museums may be explained by the method used by the newspaper to collect its data. Institutions were invited to provide their visitor statistics. Did our museums provide those numbers?

Intrigued, I sent an email to the top 4 museums in Quebec :
* Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
* Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art
* Quebec Museum of Civilization
* Quebec National Gallery

I will spare you my email, which is in French. In it, I asked if those museums provided the newspaper with their statistics. I also noted that MoMA, Orsay, Louvre, Guggenheim and the London National Gallery all provided the data. If you feel like it, you can find my email on the French version of this blog.

I’m awaiting their replies, wondering what would be worst between them sending the data (and not making the top 121) or them ignoring this list.

Update: The Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art quickly answered my query. Eric Bilodeau said that the magazine never contacted them and that it’s a disappointment. I wholeheartedly share his feelings.

[Source: Wooster Collective]

Plastic bags, ventilation grates, three black dots and the talent of the artist.

On Wednesday, while in Montreal, I decided to go check out the permanent collection of the Contemporary Art Museum of Montreal [Musée d'art contemporain]. Unfortunately, upon arrival, I discovered that the collection was being reorganized.

Hello? Doesn’t anybody in that institution know how the Internet works? That information should have been on the Web site for people like me and tourists who plan ahead their trip. The constraints of a limited time available and trying to make the most out of it make for difficult choices; information is always welcomed in that context. Apparently, I was unlucky. It seems the Museum had put the information up on the Web site somewhere and it was taken down this week. So, it seems like I fell in the cracks between the time I went at the Museum and the time I visited the site. [ Thanks to Danielle Legentil from the Museum for the info ]

Luckily for me, the temporary exhibitions proved very interesting. First, I was greeted by the installations of Geoffrey Farmer. There are about 20 works of art on display.

One original piece is most certainly The Idea and the absence of the Idea. The first thing one notices in this work is a note on the wall. By getting closer, one can read « Not the work, the worker ». At the same time, a gap in the floor reveals itself. A piece of the hardwood floor has been litterally cut off from the Museum. A pile of pieces of paper stands in the corner, similar to the one on the wall. That’s when it dawns on you that the paper was made from the pulp extracted from the hardwood. The meaning of the sentence begins to make sense.

[The Last Two Million Years, 2007-, Catriona Jeffries Gallery, photo: Guy L'Heureux]

Another installation worth mentioning is The Last Two Million Years. This montage is made of images taken from a book that wanted to tell the history of humanity. The artist cut out the pictures and grouped them according to his personal interpretation.

The second exhibit is centered around Yannick Pouliot. The thirthysomething studied visual arts and the art of woodworking which is obvious in his work.

[View of the Gallery, photo: Guy L'Heureux]

In a smart way, the artist transforms usual objects in a not-so-usual way. In this exhibit, 18th and 19th-century chairs are the motif being used. First, Pouliot makes it impossible for anyone to sit on the piece of furniture. That primary function of the object has been annihilated. This approach is not the one of the ready-mades, for example, which could regain their functions if taken out of the art show. One is then left to ponder on philosophical and personal intuitions suggested by rythms and movements present in each piece.

[Louis XVI: indifférent, 2008, collection of the artist, photo: Guy L'Heureux]

The installation Louis XIV: indifférent [2008] is most certainly worth a visit. Imagine a wall with papier peint in front of which stand two chairs. Imagine then a room where the four walls are as such. You stand in the middle of the room. And then, the artist plays with space: each chair stands in a tunnel that ends in an impass. The room has lost its square shape to gain depth.

Finally, a piece created while Pouliot was still a student at Laval University is also on display. From outside, it looks like a rough tower. By that expression, I mean that plywood is used on the outside to form a 12 to 15 feet tower. A door catches the eye.

Once you get inside the tower, just like Alice, you have crossed onto the other side. A magical world is set in motion. A candelabra is lit, high up on the ceiling. A vigourous music is played. You are in a ballroom for one, the only catch being that you can not move unless by turning on yourself. Completely isolated from the outside world, you are in your own bubble. A success!

[Cercles chromatiques de M.E. Chevreuil, 2006, Susan Hobbs Gallery]

Also on display are two photography works by Arnaud Maggs are presented. Titled Arnaud Maggs: Nomenclature, the show presents pictures of books of colours used by artists in the past century. The show didn’t do it for me but it is interesting if you are into the science versus art debate.

[Still frame, Who's Listening?, 1, 2003-2004, courtesy of the artist]

Finally, four movies from Tseng Yu-Chin are shown in the museum, next to the bookstore. It is easy to miss them. I caught a look at Who’s listening, a movie that lasts less than two minutes. In it, children are filmed while they receive milk or yogurt in the face. If the subject matter may seem simple, it allows the expression of a range of emotions that go from anxiety to expectedness, surprise and joy. While watching these Asian children receiving a streak of white liquid on their person, I couldn’t help but draw a parallel to sexuality. These children are not in their normal setting. They were told to do something extraordinary. They are waiting, nervously, smiling. Then they receive this liquid on their person. Fortunately, there’s an happy ending to this story.

I find it hard to understand why people don’t go in the museum in larger number. For the price of a latte, one can spend an happy hour and be stimulated, charmed and surprised. What’s there not to like?

Pouliot, Farmer and Maggs end on April 20th, 2008. The entrance fee is 4 dollars because of the inavailability of the permanent collection; otherwise, it will draw you back 8 dollars.

The movies of Tseng Yu-Chin will end on May 18th, 2008.

To learn more:
* Geoffrey Farmer
* Yannick Pouliot
* Arnaud Maggs
* Tseng Yu-Chin