Spotlight on recent donations to the Collection of the Musée d'art
contemporain de Montréal

MONTREAL , Nov. 10 /CNW Telbec/ - An all-new exhibition celebrating "the collector's eye" will be presented over the next five months in the galleries devoted to the Musée's Permanent Collection.

    
    Major Gifts
    From November 7, 2009 to March 7, 2010
    

Since the Musée d'art contemporain was founded, 3,000 of the 7,500 works making up its Collection have been donated by more than 600 donors, confirming the essential role donations have played in the museum's development over the years. In fact, one-quarter of the first pieces that joined the Musée's collections in 1964/1965 were donated by artists and dedicated collectors.

The Major Gifts exhibition features seven exceptional works generously donated in the last two years. The exhibition not only highlights the museological qualities of these admirable pieces, but also pays eloquent tribute to the knowledge, discerning eye and vision of the collectors. Visitors will be delighted to rediscover two works by Anselm Kiefer. Donated by Irving Ludmer, Karfunkel Fee, 1990, was part of the larger Kiefer exhibition the Musée hosted in 2006. Another masterly work by this celebrated German artist -- Die Fraun Der Antike, 1999 - will also be on view thanks to the generosity of donors Rosaire Archambault, Pierre Bourgie and Robert-Jean Chénier.

Furthermore, Germaine Gaucher has presented the museum with a spectacular diptych by Yves Gaucher -- Jericho 2 : une allusion à Barnett Newman / Jericho 2: An Allusion to Barnett Newman, 1978 -- a unique legacy from this great artist who died in 2000. Graciously offered by Christian Mailhot and Natali Ruedy, Phantasmes fragiles, 2004, a set of 87 drawings by Rober Racine and the most poignant of the "Vautours" cycle, are also now part of the Collection. As well, Ann Birks has donated the emotionally charged photographic diptych by Lorna Simpson: ID (Identify-Identity), 1990, in honour of the contribution of Marc Mayer , outgoing director of the Musée.

David Altmejd and the Andrea Rosen Gallery have contributed Le Dentiste, 2008, one of the giants created by the artist for the Québec Triennale in 2008. Lastly, the Musée imaginaire, 1997, by Francine Savard is a meaningful addition to the exhibition, enabling viewers to situate this piece within the broader context of the Musée's current retrospective of her works. These donations are tangible proof of support that is crucial and invaluable to the Musée and to the development of its Collection.

Curator

The Major Gifts exhibition is curated by Josée Bélisle, curator of the Collection.

    
    Point(s) of view on the Collection
    Cubes, Blocks and Other Spaces
    From November 7, 2009 to April 5, 2010
    

"Point(s) of view on the Collection" is a new series of thematic exhibitions based on the museum's holdings. A curator takes a fresh look at an aspect of the Collection.

The first presentation in the series, Cubes, Blocks and Other Spaces, offers a reading of the urban, architectural and media frameworks that dominate modern life. It examines the city, its buildings and its activities, as well as how they are portrayed in the media. These frameworks shaping our environment have seen numerous transformations throughout the 20th century.

Cubes, Blocks and Other Spaces asks three questions: What are the forces that govern us? How have we confronted them? And how do they impact us today?

The exhibition presents works by Josef Albers , Alice Aycock , Joseph Beuys, Dara Birnbaum , Ian Carr-Harris, Paterson Ewen, Fischli & Weiss, Gilbert & George, Peter Gnass, Joan Jonas , Kurt Kranz , Guillermo Kuitca, Suzy Lake , Sherrie Levine , El Lissitzky, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Alex Morrison , Jean-Paul Mousseau, Gunter Nolte, Anders Oinonen, Nam June Paik , Giulio Paolini, Mary Pratt , Richard Prince , Keith Sonnier , Haim Steinbach, Lotte Stam-Beese, Paul Strand , Françoise Sullivan, Serge Tousignant, Ian Wallace , Weegee,Gordon Webber, Rhonda Weppler & Trevor Mahovsky, and Bill Woodrow .

Curator

The exhibition is curated by Mark Lanctôt, curator of the Musée.

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

    
    Source and information            Visual material available
    ----------------------            -------------------------
    Danielle Legentil, MACM           www.macm.org
    Public Relations Coordinator      Newsroom
    [email protected]     Link: Visual material
    Tel.: [phone]                User name: press
                                      Password: gtrcmedias
    

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For further information: Danielle Legentil, Public Relations Coordinator, MACM, [phone], [email protected]; Visual material available: www.macm.org, Newsroom, Link: Visual material, User name: press, Password: gtrcmedias