DK Travel : Montréal and Québec City : Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal

Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal

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One of the most impressive museums in North America dominates both sides of stately rue Sherbrooke Ouest. It began life in 1860, when a group of collectors set up the Art Association of Montréal to present exhibitions, establish an art school, assemble a permanent collection of paintings and develop an art library. The members eventually raised finances to construct their own building, now the Michal & Renata Hornstein Pavilion, to house Old Masters and contemporary works. In 1991 the museum expanded into the modern Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion (illustrated here), on the south side of the street.

Top 10 Paintings

1. Portrait of a Young Woman

A combined use of light, color, texture and setting bring a feeling of intimacy to this 1665 Rembrandt work.
2. Apelles Painting the Portrait of Campaspe

Italian artist Tiepolo uses the unusual technique of a painting-within-a-painting in this 1726 work. Notice the artwork hanging on the wall of the studio, which is one of Tiepolo’s own, entitled The Bronze Serpent .
3. Octobre

An example of James Tissot’s control and mastery of space, this 1877 allegorical work is of model Kathleen Irene Newton. It was painted in London after the demise of the Commune of Paris in 1871.
4. Judith with the Head of Holopherne, Didon

Created as two paintings (1500), Andrea Mantegna here displays classic Renaissance elements: absence of emotion, knowledge of anatomy and determinism of line.
5. The Tribute Money

Philippe de Champaigne’s 1655 work portrays the Biblical tale of the Pharisees in this dramatic religious painting. The figure on the right is said to be a self-portrait and borrows stylistically from Raphael and Valentin.
6. Portrait of the Lawyer Hugo Simons

Otto Dix’s artistic freedom is evident in this 1929 portrait of lawyer Hugo Simons. Seen with a halo of copper light, it illustrates the artist’s wish to portray his subjects’ souls in his works.
7. Venice, Looking out over the Lagoon

A great voyeur of the human landscape, Morrice is known for his departure from centuries of art tradition and for his philosophy of painting for painting’s sake, seen in this work.
8. The Wheel

Montréal’s best-known contemporary painter, Jean-Paul Riopelle, lets his spatula work its magic on this canvas (1954–5), creating a mosaic of elements, colors and tones. Riopelle’s signature is his chaotic style and some affinity to the brushwork of Cézanne.
9. The Black Star

Paul-Émile Borduas began as a church decorator before attending the École des Beaux-Arts in Montréal and finishing his studies in France. This 1957 painting won a posthumous Guggenheim award in 1960 as the best Canadian painting in a New York gallery, but the work has now returned to the artist’s home town.
10. Mauve Twilight

Painted in 1921, this work, in the Michal & Renata Hornstein Pavilion, provides an evocative impression of winter by one of Québec’s most loved artists, Ozias Leduc. His ability to capture the light of dusk here confirms his legacy for perfectly representing the provincial landscape.

Practical Information

The on-site Café des Beaux-Arts serves delicious but expensive French bistro cuisine (see Le Café des Beaux-Arts), but there is an inexpensive cafeteria in the same area of the Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion. 1379–80 rue Sherbrooke Ouest (514) 285 2000 www.mmfa.qc.ca Open 11am–5pm Tue, Thu–Sun; 11am–9pm Wed Dis. access Free