Alfred Pellan

Alfred Pellan entered the École des Beaux-Arts de Québec at the age of 14. He graduated in 1926 and was the first painter to earn a grant from the Quebec government. From 1926 to 1930, he continued his training in Paris, where he remained until 1940, returning home only for brief stays. The time spent in Paris was his true education. He presented his work in many exhibitions, leading him to show at the Galerie Jeanne Bûcher alongside Picasso, Derain, Dufy and Dali. A teacher from 1943 to 1952 in advanced painting courses at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, he turned his classes into open workshops, encouraging freedom of expression for the artist and the thinker. He returned to Paris from 1952 to 1955 as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

A man of great contrasts, Pellan was equally at home painting in large and small formats. He explored new materials, new themes and new worlds. In the 1960s, he created large murals, including the stained glass at Place des Arts made with fused glass (1963) and a painting at the Winnipeg International Airport. He developed an interest in theatre, designing and creating costumes, sets, accessories and makeup.

Pellan left an indelible mark on the history of art in Quebec. His body of work, one of the richest and most complex the province has ever seen, has toured extensively. Pellan took part in some 100 collective exhibitions abroad. A number of retrospective exhibitions have been devoted to his work by museums and galleries that have acquired collections of his work.

The exceptional value of Alfred Pellan’s work has been recognized by many prizes and awards. He held four honorary doctorates. In 1967, he was named a Companion of the Order of Canada. He was deemed “the most remarkable Montrealer of the past 20 years” (1978), and, in 1983, he was awarded the Allied Arts Medal from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. In 1984, he received the Prix Paul-Émile Borduas from the Quebec government “for his dynamic contribution to teaching in the arts, his battle for the freedoms that are indispensable to artistic expression and his works known both in Québec and abroad.”

Alfred Pellan died in 1988. He was inducted into the Academy of Great Montrealers in the Cultural category in 1978 and was named a Commander of the Ordre de Montréal in 2016.