Jean Paul Riopelle at his Durantin studio in Paris, 1952, showing “Sans titre,” 1952
oil on canvas, 79" x 112" (©Estate Jean Paul Riopelle/ SOCAN (2022); photo by John Craven from the archives of the Catalogue raisonné de Jean Paul Riopelle, directed by Yseult Riopelle)
A major celebration of the centenary this year of Quebec abstract artist Jean Paul Riopelle's birth launches today with the commencement of nine cross-country community art projects.
The massive undertaking, organized by the Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation with $1.3 million in funding from Canadian Heritage, includes projects designed to increase public appreciation of Riopelle's work.
The projects range from teaching students on Vancouver Island to use artificial intelligence to create art inspired by Riopelle to painting a mural to honour a new sacred space on Benoit First Nation in Newfoundland.
Michael Audain, chair of the foundation, says Riopelle should be known not only for his abstracts from the 1950s, but also for paintings that articulated his response to wildlife and landscapes.
"We have wonderful sports heroes in the country," says Audain. "But I think it helps unite the country to have cultural heroes at the same time."
The projects, selected by committee after a national call for proposals, include workshops that consider the urban landscape of Ottawa, a Nova Scotia collaboration with circus artists and a series of residencies in New Brunswick.
Jean Paul Riopelle, "Printemps," 1952
oil on canvas, 38" x 51" (© Estate of Jean Paul Riopelle / SOCAN, 2022)
In Alberta, artists Patricia Lortie and Sabine Lecorre-Moore will oversee creation of a temporary tapestry installation by students from five schools across the province. It will be displayed outdoors at the Kiyooka Ohe Arts Centre in Calgary.
In Yukon, artist Marie-Hélène Comeau will invite members of the territory's French-speaking community to reflect on their stories of migration in workshops inspired by L’Hommage à Rosa Luxemburg, a Riopelle painting themed around migratory birds.
A project called Trois Entretiens (Three Encounters) will bring together artists from Saskatchewan, Nunavut, Quebec and Prince Edward Island to create an artist's book that centres dialogues between poetry and visual art. It will be displayed at various spots, including Quebec's national library and archives.
The Riopelle foundation was established in 2019 by a group of prominent art collectors.
For full list of projects, go to www.riopelledialogues.com.
Source: Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation
