In the previous episode of Postcards from Quebec, we traveled from Edmundston, New Brunswick to Ferme-Neuve, Quebec. This week, we resume our road trip in Montréal.
As the second-largest city in Canada and the second-largest francophone city in the world, Montréal has a proud history, an avant-garde spirit and a reputation as an international host city. In addition, “in 2006, Montreal was named a UNESCO City of Design, one of only three design capitals in the world (the others being Berlin and Buenos Aires). This distinguished title recognizes Montreal’s design community”.
Given this prestigious designation, it’s only fitting that Montréal boasts an outstanding art museum. We had the pleasure of spending a fascinating day at the Musée des Beaux-Arts Montréal (Montréal Museum of Fine Arts).
The Decorative Arts and Design collection ― “from the useful to the sublime 600 years of decorative arts and design” ― was my favorite.
We took a guided tour through this exhibition.
A few of my favourite things follow. This is Poltrona di Proust (Proust’s Armchair) by Alessandro Mendini.
It’s no secret I adore art nouveau (see My Art Nouveau Love Affair) and this hanging lamp with its stunning dragonfly design was no exception.
In a previous blog post, Making Art Out of the Box, I shared an example of a chair made from cardboard. The Wiggle Side Chair was designed and created by the award-winning, world-renowned architect and designer Frank O Gehry. So, I was thrilled to see another Gehry cardboard creation, the Bubbles Chaise Lounge, in person.
This art installation, titled Silence, was created by Ari Bayuaji in 2014. According to their Instagram post, this was the artist’s “very first big installation work. Commissioned by The Esplanade, Theatre on the Bay, Singapore. The art installation constructed with 1400 wooden sculptures. Each sculpture was hand-carved and then hand painted both sides with acrylic paint”.
Another Montréal highlight was the Jardin botanique de Montréal (Montréal Botanical Garden). Located near the Olympic Stadium, the garden is “one of four nature-focused attractions belonging to the City of Montreal in the Espace pour la vie (Space for Life) museum district”.
The Montréal Botanical Garden includes a variety of thematic gardens including an outstanding Chinese garden.
There’s also an extensive Alpine garden.
Perennials and annuals were in full bloom throughout the gardens.
Check out this empty, gold frame in the midst of the Flowery Brook garden. I’m reminded of a quote from the Where Is the North website which I shared in my previous blog post, In a View-Framing Frame of Mind, “View framing does not create a new view, rather, it frames it, draws attention to it, and amplifies its beauty”.
We also visited the majestic Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal (Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal). A plaque at the entrance read “This imposing basilica, constructed from 1824 to 1829 and completed in the early 1840s, was the first significant example of the Gothic Revival style in Canada. Built as a parish church to designs by Irish American architect James O’Donnell, it is an outstanding example of the style’s early Romantic phase, characterized by the application of medieval features such as pointed arches, battlements, and pinnacles to a classically influenced, symmetrical form. The use of the Gothic Revival for such an important building heralded the prominence the style would have in Canadian architecture.”
The jaw-droppingly beautiful nave of the Notre-Dame Basilica features a stunning vaulted ceiling, elaborate wood carving and gold-leaf adornments.
The splendid stained glass windows, which were made in Limoges France, depict scenes from the religious lives of famous parishioners and the history of Montréal.
We also had the opportunity to attend Cirque du Soleil’s ECHO. The world-renowned Cirque du Soleil, the largest contemporary circus producer in the world, is headquartered in the inner-city area of Montréal. It’s hard to believe this incredible Canadian company, which was founded in 1984 by two former street performers, has performed on six continents and in more than 86 countries.
ECHO is part of Cirque du Soleil’s post-pandemic comeback. It has been performed for nearly two million spectators over the last three years, as reported on their Instagram account. It was indeed unforgettable!
Whenever possible, I like to scout out new trends, distinctive styles and decorating inspiration in local home décor stores. We visited several including Coeur d’ Artichaut, La Maison Generale, V de V, Maison Colorée and Agriculture du coin in the Mile End neighbourhood. Here are a few shots from these superb shops.
I’ll wrap up this mini-blog post with a few relaxing shots from Domaine Jolivent, a boutique hotel in Lac-Brome. Located in the beautiful Eastern Townships region of Quebec, Lac-Brome was one of our stops on the Tour des Arts ― an annual studio tour and art sale in the region. Check back next week for a deep dive into the incredible Tour des Arts.
This is the second mini-blog post in a short series about my road trip to Quebec, Canada:
. Postcards from Quebec #1
. Postcards from Quebec #2 (this post).
