Tag Archive "musee-dart-contemporain-de-montreal"

Beyond the Canvas: Francine Savard at the Musee d’Art Contemporain de Montreal

My brain was buzzing when I left the Francine Savard mid-career retrospective at the Musee d’Art Contemporain de Montreal (MACM) curated by Lesley Johnstone. The 60 works on display express intellectual and philosophical ideas with such refined and graphic precision. Savard’s work, obviously drawing from the local tradition of Plasticiens (a non-figurative movement which began in the mid-1950s in Quebec and included Stella-like works from artists such as Guido Molinari, Claude Tousignant and Fernand Leduc), incorporates text, typography, colour and structure in a reflective way that encourages the viewer to rethink art history, geography, analysis and representation.

Robert Polidori at the Musee d’Art Contemporain de Montreal

I first encountered Robert Polidori’s photography in a small exhibit of his Versailles work at the Art45 Gallery.  The images were rich, sensuous, highly detailed and intelligent. The New York-based photographer produces large-scale highly realistic chromogenic prints that bring the viewer into the scene. In the intimate setting, the effect was evocative and enthralling. The current retrospective at the Musee d’Art Contemporain de Montreal (MACM) showcases 59 of Polidori’s images, however its large scope dilutes the impact of the photographer’s oeuvre.