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Alfred Pellan




Alfred Pellan ( 16 May , 1906 - 31 October , 1988 ) is an important figure in Twentieth-century Québec painting. He was born in Québec City in 1906 . From the age of fourteen until his graduation in 1926 he studied at the École Des Beaux-Arts De Québec . The same year, he became the first recipient of a fine-arts scholarship from the Québec government, which allowed him to study at the École Supérieure Nationale Des Beaux-arts De Paris . He stayed in Paris until 1940 , completing his artistic education, then moved to Montréal .

From 1943 to 1952 , Pellan taught at the École Des Beaux-Arts De Montréal . His classes took the form of free workshops. His promotion of free thinking and expression in his teaching put him at odds with Charles Maillard , the much more conservative director of the school. This resulted in Pellan's temporary resignation in 1945 . From 1952 to 1955 , he went back to Paris on a bursary from the Royal Society Of Canada . There, he became the first Quebecer (and Canadian) to hold a solo exhibition at the Musée National D'art Moderne .

Pellan's production is very large and varied. His early canvasses, from his first stay in Paris, show a marked Fauvist influence. From the 1940s on, his works become closer to Cubism and Surrealism , then branch out into their own distinctive style. Though primarily a painter, Pellan used many different materials, including hooked rug and glass. He also did costume and set designs for the theater.

Pellan received a great number of prizes and distinctions, including four honorary doctorates. In 1967 , he was made Companion of the Order Of Canada . He was awarded the Paul-Émile Borduas Prize in 1984 and made an officer of the Ordre National Du Québec in 1985 . Over the years, he participated in over one hundred collective exhibitions abroad, strengthening his international reputation. Alfred Pellan died in Laval, Québec in 1988 .


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