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 com ...

museum in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

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 thirtee ...

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. 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 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 municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Often ...

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 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

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

from 1964 to 1965, the Château Dufresne from 1965 to 1968, and at

's International Fine Arts Exhibition at the Cité du Havre 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 organiz ...

. In 1983, an international

architectural competition An architectural design competition is a type of design competition in which an organization that intends on constructing a new building invites architects to submit design proposals. The winning design is usually chosen by an independent panel o ...

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

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 Vil ...

. 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 The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...

, 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

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 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 arts al ...

. 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