The vitality of this institution continues to impress me! Over the last two years alone, there have been two major openings: the Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion of Quebec & Canadian Art, to be discovered and rediscovered, and the Michel de la Chenelière Art & Education Studios, an ideal spot for family outings.

The Museum’s program is superb. I very much enjoyed The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier—an international triumph—and I will soon go to see Peru: Kingdom of the Sun and the Moon, a magnificent exhibition of the treasures and masterpieces of a rich civilization, from the pre-Columbian era to 20th century Indigenism.

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

PERU,
100-800 A.D.
Lambayeque,
Ornament in the Shape of a Human Head
Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán
Photo : 2011, Joaquín Rubio

I really fell in love with Arsenal, which opened a year ago. What a beautiful structure created by Pierre and Anne-Marie Trahan, two collectors who brilliantly converted the former shipyard warehouse in Griffintown into an immense contemporary art complex. Its new exhibition features some thirty sculptures, paintings and photographs by thirteen Chinese artists, including the celebrated Gao Brothers. A perfect opportunity to discover artists from a country that is becoming increasingly important in the world of contemporary art.

Arsenal

The Saint-Pierre-Apôtre Church is not particularly well known, but it is one of my favourite Montreal monuments. This neo-Gothic church built in the mid-19th century is architect Victor Bourgeau’s masterpiece, and its principal components have been copied throughout Quebec. It is perfectly proportioned and its external outlines—owing to its soaring steeple that can be seen from René-Lévesque Boulevard—are absolutely magnificent. The church was classified as an historic site in 1977 by the Commission des biens culturels du Québec. Since 1996, a flame has burned continuously in the Chapelle de l'Espoir in memory of AIDS victims.

Grand répertoire du patrimoine bâti de Montréal

Église Saint-Pierre-Apôtre
©Ville de Montréal, 2002