The Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MACM) is a
contemporary art
Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic ...
museum in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
. It is located on the
Place des festivals
Place may refer to:
Geography
* Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population
** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own Municipality, municipal government
* "Place", a type of street or road ...
in the
Quartier des spectacles and is part of the
Place des Arts complex.
Founded in 1964, it is Canada's first museum devoted to contemporary art. Initially housed in the
Place Ville-Marie
Place Ville Marie (PVM for short) is a large office and shopping complex skyscraper in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, comprising four office buildings and an underground shopping plaza. It serves as the main and official headquarters for Roya ...
, the museum moved into the premises of the
Château Dufresne
The Château Dufresne (also known as the ''Dufresne House'') is a historic building in the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It currently functions as a historic house museum.
History
Built from 1915 to 1918, ...
in 1965, followed by an exhibition gallery from
Expo 67
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 ...
in 1968. In 1992, the museum moved to its current premises at
Place des Arts in Montreal.
History
The Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal was founded in 1964 by the Quebec government. The MACM was the first institution in Canada devoted exclusively to contemporary art. Before moving to its current location, the Museum was housed in three different locations: at
Place Ville-Marie
Place Ville Marie (PVM for short) is a large office and shopping complex skyscraper in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, comprising four office buildings and an underground shopping plaza. It serves as the main and official headquarters for Roya ...
from 1964 to 1965, the
Château Dufresne
The Château Dufresne (also known as the ''Dufresne House'') is a historic building in the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It currently functions as a historic house museum.
History
Built from 1915 to 1918, ...
from 1965 to 1968, and at
Expo 67
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 ...
's International Fine Arts Exhibition at the
Cité du Havre
Cité du Havre is a neighbourhood in the borough of Ville-Marie of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located on a narrow man-made peninsula, the Mackay Pier (''Jetée Mackay''), which was largely built to protect the Old Port of Montreal ...
Art Gallery, from 1968 to 1992. In 1983, the museum changed its status: it became an independent corporation managed by a
board of directors
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit orga ...
.
In 1983, an international
architectural competition was held to choose the design of the new building to house the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal. Over one hundred firms entered the competition.
Jodoin Lamarre Pratte & Associés was selected as the winning architectural firm in 1984.
On May 28, 1992, the museum opened in its new location at
Place des Arts in
Downtown Montreal
Downtown Montreal (French: ''Centre-Ville de Montréal'') is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
The district is situated on the southernmost slope of Mount Royal, and occupies the western portion of the borough of Ville ...
.
The museum is now part of the largest cultural complex in Canada, which combines the performing arts and visual arts. At the inauguration of its new building, close to 20,000 people visited the museum on May 29 and 30, 1992. Following the move to downtown Montreal, Quebec artist
Geneviève Cadieux
Geneviève Cadieux (born 17 July 1955) is a Canadian artist known for her large-scale photographic and media works in urban settings. She lives in Montreal.
Education
Cadieux was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1955. She received her BA in Visual ...
designed a photographic work, "''La Voie lactée''". The work is a closeup photograph of a pair of
lips, installed on the roof of the building.
In June 2017, in response to criticism that the museum was closed on itself and did not fit well in the newly established
Quartier des spectacles the MACM announced a contest to redesign and extend the
Place des Arts venue. In April 2018, the Saucier+Perrotte Architectes / GLCRM & Associés Architectes proposal was selected. In 2021, the museum moved into a temporary location at Place Ville-Marie for the duration of the redevelopment project.
Collection
Four rooms are reserved for exhibitions of the collection, featuring works reflecting the significant trends of contemporary art. It includes works by Quebec, Canadian and international artists. Four other rooms are dedicated to temporary exhibitions.
The collection includes over 7,000 works of art by more than 1,500 artists (1,200 still living), focusing on contemporary art from Quebec in particular and Canada in general, as well as important international artists. Its collections include contemporary paintings, sculptures, photographs, installation, video and works on paper.
The museum is Canada's only cultural complex devoted to both contemporary
performing
A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function.
Management science
In the work place ...
and
visual arts
The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile art ...
.
The museum was a member of the ''AMICO'' consortium.
References
External links
Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal(in French an
English
* http://abstraction.macm.org/ On April 24, 2009
Les Printemps du MAC a committee of young professionals, organized Abstraction; an evening where over 700 people under 40 came out to the MAC to celebrate art.
{{authority control
Museums in Montreal
Contemporary art galleries in Canada
Modern art museums
Musee d'art contemporain de Montreal
Art museums and galleries in Quebec
Musee d'art contemporain de Montreal
Art museums established in 1964
Musee d'art contemporain de Montreal