Anne-Marie St-Jean Aubre Joins Curatorial Team at Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Anne-Marie St-Jean Aubre
Anne-Marie St-Jean Aubre has been appointed as curator of Quebec and Canadian contemporary art at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, effective June 12.
She replaces eunice bélidor (who does not use capital letters in her name), who left the position in January after less than two years in the job.
The first black curator in the museum's history, bélidor said at the time that she was hired to represent diversity but was never given the tools to thrive. She told Hyperallergic in March: "Institutions don’t want to make changes. They just want it to look like they're making changes. I'm waiting for someone to prove me otherwise."
At the time, Stéphane Aquin, who took over the museum's leadership after the turmoil of the 2020 firing of Nathalie Bondil, told the Gazette that bélidor was hired because the gallery believed she was the right person for the job.
Aubre, who will report to chief curator Mary-Dailey Desmarais, is tasked with promoting and enriching the museum's collection of Quebec and Canadian art from 1945 onwards. She will also devise the exhibition program and carry out publishing and research.
Desmarais says Aubre has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the advancement of Quebec and Canadian artists, both nationally and internationally.
"Her extensive knowledge of contemporary practices, her close ties with the artistic community and her sensitivity to issues affecting our society make her an invaluable asset to our institution, which aspires to present new perspectives on art and give voice to artists of our time," says Desmarais.
Aubre holds a master's degree from the Université du Québec à Montréal and has worked in the cultural milieu as an art critic and curator for more than 12 years.
Since 2017, she has been curator of contemporary art at the Musée d'art de Joliette, where she supported artists of diverse cultural backgrounds, organizing exhibitions by Kapwani Kiwanga, Shannon Bool, Jin-me Yoon, Monique Régimbald-Zeiber, Derek Liddington and Irene F. Whittome, among others.
Earlier, Aubre worked as assistant curator at the SBC Gallery of Contemporary Art, and curator and artistic co-director at the Darling Foundry, both in Montreal.
Source: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
