Montréal, November 28, 2018 – As the holiday season draws near, there are more reasons than ever to visit the MAC with family or friends and take part in its activities one last time before it temporarily closes for the transformation work that will begin in 2019. So until January 20, 2019, visitors can explore the retrospective on Francoise Sullivan, a multidisciplinary artist at the peak of her career, experience a Manifesto of manifestos with Julian Rosefeldt’s video installation Manifesto, and see original copies of historic manifestos in the documentary exhibition Scores. The MAC will remain open throughout the holiday season, except on December 25 and January 1.

Three exhibitions to see or see again

A leading figure of Québec’s avant-garde and signatory of the Refus global manifesto, Françoise Sullivan is a major artist in the history of Québec art who never ceased reinventing herself, since the beginning of her career in the 1940s, where she was part of the emerging Automatist movement. This major MAC retrospective showcases a wide-ranging, prolific artistic career that has left an important mark on contemporary art in Canada. Some fifty works are shown, including paintings, sculptures, and archival documentation, accompanied by a special program of unique performances.

Manifesto is an expansive, thirteen-channel video installation, where German artist Julian Rosefeldt pays tribute to the eloquence and literary beauty of artist manifestos. Renowned Australian actress Cate Blanchett brought her exceptional talent to bear in this tour de force by interpreting a variety of characters in short films which draws inspiration from architecture, film, performance art and the visual arts. The whole gives a modern take on and meaning to texts that shaped art history throughout the 20th century.

The documentary exhibition Scores, conceived as a link between Manifesto and the Françoise Sullivan retrospective, presents originals of major historical manifestos, including an original copy of the Refus global, which celebrates its seventieth anniversary this year. This series of historical documents is interspersed with three artworks, by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Romany Eveleigh and Mathieu Beauséjour, that also highlight the importance of the materiality of the manifesto and its essentially performative nature.

Holiday Combo: Explore your creativity with family or friends at the MAC

The younger and older alike can explore an abstract painting technique in this creative workshop inspired by Francoise Sullivan’s monochrome paintings. Visitors will create dazzling artworks that reveal colour in a whole new way, by applying paint of a single colour with small gestures over an entire surface. To provide inspiration before they start painting, visitors will start the activity with a 30-minute guided tour.

December 27 and 28, 2018, at 1:30 p.m. or 2:30 p.m.
January 3 or 4, at 1:30 p.m. or 2:30 p.m.

No reservation required.
Details and fees: https://macm.org/en/activities/holiday-combo/

Several ways to offer the MAC as a gift!

MACarte: MAC membership

For a limited time, the MAC is offering a five-year membership for the exceptional price of $80.

This offer provides free, priority access to current programming at the MAC, all its offsite exhibitions during its transformation (certain conditions may apply), as well as exclusive and unlimited access during the first year of the MAC’s reopening.

For more information: https://macm.org/en/general-information/members/

The Séminarts program

For those who are curious about the contemporary art world or who wish to start a collection of contemporary artwork, the MAC’s Séminarts program is the perfect gift. Conducted in an atmosphere conducive to discussion and the sharing of ideas, this educational program gives participants a chance to discover the art world and the workings of the art market through five sessions with various players in the arts community, including artists, gallerists, private collectors, corporate collectors and exhibition or museum curators.

Details and fees: https://macm.org/en/catactivite/seminarts/

The Françoise Sullivan catalogue

The Françoise Sullivan retrospective has led to the publication of a substantial monograph on the career and artwork of this leading figure in Québec and Canadian visual arts. In addition to summarizing the artist’s diverse and multidisciplinary practice, the authors provide an in-depth review of key moments throughout her journey while contextualizing with archival documents the various styles and approaches she has adopted throughout her career. Featuring essays by exhibition curator Mark Lanctôt, Vincent Bonin, Ray Ellenwood and Noémie Solomon. An illustrated chronology written by Chantal Charbonneau rounds off the publication.

288 pages
180 illustrations
$39.95

Available at the MAC Boutique and in several bookstores.

MAC Boutique: several discounts until the Boutique closes

The MAC Boutique will be closed during the MAC’s transformation. Until its closing on January 27, 2019, visitors can take advantage of discounts on jewelry, stationery, fashion accessories and other items on sale at the Boutique. A good reason to start your holiday shopping at the MAC!

Information and Boutique opening hours: https://macm.org/en/general-information/boutique/

Acknowledgments

The Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal is a provincially owned corporation funded by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec. It receives additional funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts.

The MAC acknowledges the support of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, a partner for educational activities, and of the National Bank of Canada, a partner of the Museum’s and the Foundation’s events. The MAC would also like to thank its media partners: La Presse, The Gazette, and the Cinémas Beaubien and Cinéma du Parc movie theatres. For the Françoise Sullivan exhibition, the MAC acknowledges the support of Théâtre Lachapelle and Centre de Création O Vertigo (CCOV). Julian Rosefeldt: Manifesto, is presented with the support of Goethe-Institut Montréal. Also for Julian Rosefeldt: Manifesto, the MAC acknowledges the support of two special partners: the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, where the MAC co-presented the film Ray and Liz by Richard Billingham on October 6 and 13, 2018, and Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM). The MAC and RIDM co-presented the film SEGUNDA VEZ (2018), by Dora García, on November 13 and 18, 2018.

Manifesto has been co-commissioned by the Australian Centre for the Moving Image Melbourne (ACMI), the Art Gallery of New South Wales Sydney, the Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and the Sprengel Museum Hanover. The work is co-produced by the Burger Collection Hong Kong and the Ruhrtriennale. It was realized thanks to the generous support of the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and in cooperation with Bayerischer Rundfunk.

Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal

The Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal makes today’s art a vital part of Montréal and Québec life. For more than fifty years, this vibrant museum has brought together local and international artists, their works and an ever-growing public. It is also a place of discovery, offering visitors experiences that are continually changing and new, and often unexpected and stirring. The MAC presents temporary exhibitions devoted to outstanding and relevant current artists who provide their own particular insight into our society, as well as exhibitions of works drawn from the museum’s extensive Permanent Collection. These may feature any and every form of expression: digital and sound works, installations, paintings, sculptures, ephemeral pieces, and more. In addition to its wide range of educational activities familiarizing the general public with contemporary art, the MAC organizes unique artistic performances and festive events. It is a window onto a myriad of avant-garde expressions that extend the reach of art throughout the city and beyond. macm.org/en/

Source and Information

Anne Dongois
T. 514 826-2050
[email protected]