About
In 2014, MU took up residence on the Savoie Avenue (between St-Denis and the Grande bibliothèque) to paint on the walls an ode to literature, thanks to the talent of several muralists selected by a jury : Jason Botkin, Five Eight, Les Hommes de Lettres, William Patrick & Adam Sajkowski, Gene Pendon, Bruno Rouyère & Dominique Desbiens, and XRAY.
Real encounter between the visual arts and literature, these “murs à mots” (words walls) highlight the history of the area as a center of knowledge (University of Montreal, UQAM, Montreal literary school, etc.), the 100th anniversary of the Saint-Sulpice Librairy (located on the Saint-Denis Street) and the 45th anniversary of UQAM in 2014 and 10th anniversary of the Grande Bibliothèque in 2015.
As part of its collection Montreal’s Great Artists, MU is paying homage to Emile Nelligan and Montreal poets (Gaston Miron, Hélène Monette, Josée Yvon, Marie Uguay and Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau) with a mural created by Les Hommes de lettres.
The mural features :
- Gaston Miron – L’homme Rapaillé
- Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau – Regards et jeux dans l’espace
- Hélène monette – Le goudron et les plumes
- Josée Yvon – Les Laides otages
- Marie Uguay – L’Outre-vie
- Émile Nelligan – Le Vaisseau d’or
Launched by MU in 2010, the collection of murals entitled Montreal’s Great Artists highlights the creative minds and forces who have made outstanding contributions to the local, national and international reach of Montreal’s cultural scene. The murals pay tribute to creators in a variety of artistic disciplines who are either from the city originally, or who have made it their home.
Nine artists have received this honor thus far: Paul-Émile Borduas (Ville-Marie, 2010-2011), Oscar Peterson (Sud-Ouest, 2011), Miyuki Tanobe (Verdun, 2012), Marcelle Ferron (Champ-de-mars tunnel, 2013), Alys Robi (Lion d’or cabaret, 2013), Michel Tremblay (Plateau-Mont-Royal, 2014), Cirque du Soleil — Guy Laliberté et Gilles Ste-Croix (Metropolitan highway, 2014), Oliver Jones (Sud-Ouest, 2014) et Dany Laferrière (Latin Quarter, 2014).