Jean Dumontier (23 June 1935 – 27 December 2018) was a Canadian-
Quebecois architect and artist. He is best known for having designed the
Montreal Metro
The Montreal Metro (french: Métro de Montréal) is a rubber-tired underground rapid transit system serving Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The metro, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), was inaugurated on October 14, ...
stations
Jean-Drapeau (serving the
Expo 67 site) and
Longueuil-Université-de-Sherbrooke. He was also the first architect of the subway to have himself created the works of art for the stations of his own design, those being the four concrete walls of the dock of the station Jean-Drapeau.
Biography
Born in
Rigaud in 1935, Jean Dumontier was hired by the city of
Montreal in the 1960s, joining the team of architects who developed the
Montreal Metro
The Montreal Metro (french: Métro de Montréal) is a rubber-tired underground rapid transit system serving Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The metro, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), was inaugurated on October 14, ...
in 1962. He was entrusted with the design of stations that would serve
Expo 67, Île-Sainte-Hélène and Longueuil (today
Jean-Drapeau and
Longueuil-Université-de-Sherbrooke). He also created the murals of the Jean-Drapeau station, representing the
Titan
Titan most often refers to:
* Titan (moon), the largest moon of Saturn
* Titans, a race of deities in Greek mythology
Titan or Titans may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Fictional entities
Fictional locations
* Titan in fiction, fictiona ...
Atlas and recalling the theme of Expo 67, "
Man and His World
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It was a category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most su ...
" (Terre des Hommes).
In 1967, at the age of 32, he became head of the metro design office and hired young architects of his generation. In the 1970s, he was appointed Superintendent of the Architecture Division at the Metropolitan Transportation Bureau (BTM), then became its director, overseeing the
extension of the network in the 1970s and 1980s.
Throughout his career, he promoted the integration of works of art into the architecture of all stations, which makes the Montreal metro unique in the world.
Several noted artists, such as
Jean-Paul Mousseau,
Michel de Broin
Michel de Broin (born 1970 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian sculptor. De Broin has created numerous public artworks in Canada and Europe, including the Salvador Allende monument in Montreal. He was the recipient of the 2007 Sobey Art Award.
...
,
Marcelle Ferron
Marcelle Ferron, (January 29, 1924 – November 19, 2001), a Canadian '' Québécoise'' painter and stained glass artist, was one of the original 16 signatories of Paul-Émile Borduas's Refus global manifesto, and a major figure in the Quebec c ...
,
Charles Daudelin and
Frédéric Bach
Frédéric and Frédérick are the French versions of the common male given name Frederick. They may refer to:
In artistry:
* Frédéric Back, Canadian award-winning animator
* Frédéric Bartholdi, French sculptor
* Frédéric Bazille, Impress ...
, are represented by significant works in the Montreal underground.
Many cities around the world approached Dumontier to build, extend or modernize their transit system. Cities like Mexico City, Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Atlanta have been inspired by the Montreal network in their own drives for redevelopment.
Jean Dumontier died of cancer on 27 December 2018, at the age of 83.
See also
*
Montreal Metro: Station design
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dumontier, Jean
Canadian architects
1935 births
2018 deaths
Artists from Quebec