Charles Daudelin, GOQRCA (October 1, 1920 – April 2, 2001) was a French Canadian pioneer in modern sculpture and painting. He worked in a wide variety of media, including painting, metal and ceramic sculpture, jewelry, and marionettes which he made with his wife, Louise.
Life and work
Charles Daudelin was born on October 1, 1920, in Granby, Quebec.[1]
In 1939 he moved to Montreal, where he worked for the silversmith Gilles Beaugrand, a childhood friend of Paul-Émile Borduas.[1] While still working for Beaugrand, he enrolled in evening classes at the École du meuble in Montreal, then attended full-time in 1941. He joined the Contemporary Arts Society in 1941.[2] In May 1943, he and 22 other artists under the age of thirty, including several students of Borduas at the École du Meuble, took part in the Sagittarius exhibition at the Dominion Gallery, organized by Maurice Gagnon, professor at the École du Meuble, and which would constitute a milestone in the history of the Automatistes.[3] Daudelin exhibited several works there, including sculptures. In September 1943 in Granby, Daudelin`s first solo exhibition took place, also organized by Maurice Gagnon.[citation needed]
Between 1944 and 1945, Daudelin made two visits to New York City, where he visited the atelier of Fernand Léger. Between 1946 and 1948, he spent time in Paris, where he regularly saw Léger and met the sculptor Henri Laurens, who he would meet a number of times, and was afterwards influenced by Laurens` organic form.[4][1]
He married Louise Bissonette in 1946, who worked with him.[citation needed]
He taught at the École des beaux-arts in Montréal until 1967.[1] He became a pioneer in integrating art into public space. He created many public artworks,[5] including:
Daudelin lived in Kirkland, Quebec, and died in nearby Pointe-Claire, Quebec.[10] His last work, Le Passage du 2 avril, is named for the date of his death and installed in front of Kirkland City Hall.
A postage stamp depicting Daudelin's work Embâcle was issued by Canada Post on June 10, 2002.[11]
Honours
Second prize, Concours artistiques du Québec for painting (1946) and sculpture (1964, 1969)[1]
La Brousse, 1954–1958, oil on hardboard, 142 x 106 cm.
Controversy
In 2015, it was announced that Daudelin's public art piece, Agora in Viger Square, which had been meant to mimic the gardens of Greek antiquity, would be replaced with a minimalist park.[15] However, in 2016, the makeover stalled since the Square sits on top of Ville-Marie Expressway, which is provincial jurisdiction. Work began on the area of the square referred to as the îlot Daudelin, and many of the concrete structures there, created by Charles Daudelin, were demolished. Others were restored and there were plans for better lighting and new drainage and sewer systems.[16] The redevelopment due to be completed in 2021 now costs 63.2 million, almost double the initial amount.[17]
References
^ abcdefghijChampagne, Michel. "Charles Daudelin". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica-Dominion. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
^ ab"Charles Daudelin". artpublicmontreal.ca. Art Public Montreal. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
^"Dominion Gallery, Montreal"(PDF). ciac.ca. Centre international d’art contemporain de Montréal. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
^Tippett, Maria. "Sculpture in Canada". Douglas & McIntyre, 2017. p. 125. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
^ abc"Charles Daudelin". www.metrodemontreal.com. Montreal Metro. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
^"Collection". www.mbam.qc.ca/. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
^Daudelin, Charles. "Collection". rmg.minisisinc.com. Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
^"Charles Daudelin". www.gallery.ca. National Gallery of Canada. Retrieved June 19, 2021.