News from 2001
BIENNAL INTERNAZIONALE DELL’ARTE CONTAMPORANEA
12/07/2001 To 16/12/2001
Photo : Amour, Champagne et autre chose
Marcel Barbeau, laureate of the International Biennial for Contemporary Art in Florence
On December 15th, Marcel Barbeau was given the fifth prize for painting at the Biennial for Contemporary Art in Florence. A medal bearing the image of great florentine patron of the arts, Laurent de Médicis, was given to him on this occasion.
Recall that it was after being invited by the International Biennial Committee that Marcel Barbeau participated in the third edition of the Biennale Dell’Arte Contemporaneo in Florence. There, he displayed “Amour, Champagne et autres choses”, a painting he produced in December of 2000.
Created by Arte Studio under the aegis of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this exhibition was aiming for the promotion of quality and artistic diversity, in a spirit of liberty with no respect to stylistic, disciplinary or thematic boundaries. It was presented at the Fortezza da Basso, an old fortress located on the edge of the historical part of the city of Florence.
In Italy, Marcel Barbeau had already participated in the Two World Arts Festival in Spoleto in 1962. He also participated in the two exhibitions of the artists of the Automatist movement organized by the Quebec General Delegation in Paris and presented in Rome in 1963. One was presented at the Einaudi Gallery in 1962 and the other at the Poligliani Gallery, in January 1963. His paintings were also shown at the floating Biennial, organized on the fringe of the 1965 Biennial in Venise by Iris Clert, the famous parisian avant-garde art dealer of the sixties. The exhibition was presented on a boat called the Bella Laura, anchored in the Venise harbour. It regrouped several major art figures of this period, such as Pol Bury, Jean Tinguely and Ad Reinhart. In 1975, the Canadian Embassy in Rome also released in Italy a travelling exhibition of colour inks made by Marcel Barbeau, organized by the Canadian Embassy in Paris.
In 1992, he participated with two prints in the International Print Exhibition of the Istituto per la Cultura at the Capizzi College in Catalia-Bronte, in Sicily, an exhibition which later travelled across Italy. Let us finally note that the great Italian artist, Lucio Fontana had previously signed a short introductory text for Marcel Barbeau’s exhibition at the Iris Clert Gallery in April of 1964.
Marcel Barbeau’s participation in the Biennal was made possible by a generous patron from Quebec who wishes to remain anonymous and to whom the artist would like to express his gratitude. Marcel Barbeau also benefits from the support of Quebec’s Cultural Agency in Rome and the Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications. He also received some technical help from Gianguido Fucito, director of the Bernard Gallery in Montreal, where Marcel Barbeau’s more recent paintings was displayed in May of 2002.
Picture legend: Marcel Barbeau in front of his painting, with Tomasso Thellung, cultural advisor and Daniela Renosto, director of Public Affairs for Quebec’s Cultural Agency in Rome, during their visit to the International Biennial for Contemprary Art in Florence on December 13, 2002.
Salon de Mai
30/03/2001 to 04/08/2001
Photo : Salon de Mai, Musée National d’Art Moderne de Paris
The Salon de Mai, which this year celebrates its fifty-fifth birthday, remains one of the major events of the Paris spring arts season. It will be held this year at the Espace Auteuil, located at the Porte d’Auteuil. Invited to participate after the presentation of the film “Barbeau free as art” (Barbeau libre comme l’art) at UNESCO in December, Marcel Barbeau will exhibit the painting, “D’Amour, de champagne et d’autres choses” that he produced for this event in December 2000.
Salon de mai, Paris. Responsable Pierre Trawinski, 06-14-73-30-84.
Exhibition LES PASSEUR DU IIIe MILLÉNAIRE at Jean-Claude Bergeron Gallery, Ottawa
01/03/2001 to 31/03/2001
Jean-Claude Bergeron Gallery
Exhibition Le Fleuve En Escale at th Lambton Gallery
24/02/2001 to 31/03/2001
Photo : “Le Fleuve en escales”. Centre Franco-Manitobain 1
The Musée du Bas-Saint-Laurent is proud to present the Marcel Barbeau exibition, Le Fleuve en Escale. Produced by the Louperivois museum, this exhibition, which shows more than twenty-five major works of Barbeau, was presented from June 20 to October 20, 1999 at the Museum du Bas-St-Laurent is currently traveling across Canada.