Armand Vaillancourt
Encyclopedia
Armand Vaillancourt is a Québécois
sculptor, painter
and performance artist born on September 3, 1929, in the city of Black Lake
, Quebec
, Canada
.
. In 1953, Armand sculpted directly from the street, an elm tree on Durocher street, in Montreal. Very controversial, this sculpture made passersby curious, not knowing how to label it. Symbolising the relationship between art and nature, the sculpture remained there for several years before being finally moved to the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
. This work of art would awaken the conscience of many artists concerned by ecology and is now considered by many to be a key work of modern Quebec sculpture.
In 1980, Vaillancourt created for an environmental sculpture
symposium at Chicoutimi his work Intemporel with a field of white stones surrounded by "cages". 1500 tons of rocks were used for this monumental work of art. The white stones, representing nature, were put into metal cages, symbolising humanity's efforts to control everything.
In 1971, a publicly commissioned fountain entitled Québec libre! was installed (San Francisco, United States
). One of his best known sculptures, Québec libre! is representative of the relationship between Vaillancourt's art and his political convictions. It is a huge concrete fountain, 200 feet long, 140 feet wide and 36 feet high sitting in the city's financial district at the Embarcadero Center
. The night before its inauguration, Vaillancourt inscribed Québec libre! in red letters, to note his undying support for the Quebec sovereignty movement
and more largely, his support for the freedom of all people. The following day, seeing that the city's employees erased the inscription, he jumped on the sculpture to reinscribe the sentence many times.
Some years later, the fountain became the object of a polemic involving U2
's singer Bono
. During a free concert, Bono climbed the sculpture to write Rock & Roll stops the traffic, referring to the power of rock. 20,000 people were in fact in attendance and blocked some of the neighbouring streets. Reacting to the act, the city's mayor declared that she deplored the sculpture's vandalism and that this kind of act could be punishable by a fine and/or imprisonment. Vaillancourt was then contacted to learn if he supported the gesture, which he answered by going to U2's concert in Oakland the following day, where he wrote "Stop the madness" on the stage, in front of 70,000 people. He defended Bono's gesture, after a speech on injustice, declaring that graffiti is a necessary evil as young people do not generally have the same access to newspapers, and media in general, as politicians do to express themselves.
El clamor is a 1985 work in (Santo Domingo
, Dominican Republic
). Described by Vaillancourt as a "symbol of vital energy of every oppressed population, of real freedom, the freedom that is inside and that we cannot imprison", this monumental sculpture, 23 feet long, 7 feet wide and 10 feet high, surrounded by barbed wire surmounted by 92 steel hands, symbolizes the struggle of people against repression and imprisonment. A 5 foot dove
sits on top of the sculpture. It was constructed in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic for the 500th anniversary of the coming of Christopher Columbus
.
French-speaking Quebecer
French-speaking Quebecers are francophone residents of the Canadian province of Quebec....
sculptor, painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and performance artist born on September 3, 1929, in the city of Black Lake
Black Lake
-Lakes:In Canada:*Black Lake *In Ontario:**Black Lake in Haliburton**Black Lake in the Greater Sudbury District**Black Lake *Black Lake, Quebec...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Major sculptures
L'arbre de la rue Durocher is a public sculpture in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. In 1953, Armand sculpted directly from the street, an elm tree on Durocher street, in Montreal. Very controversial, this sculpture made passersby curious, not knowing how to label it. Symbolising the relationship between art and nature, the sculpture remained there for several years before being finally moved to the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
The Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec is a museum in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada gathering approximately 25,000 works essentially produced in Quebec, or by Quebec artists, some of which dating from the 18th century. It also houses a library since 1987...
. This work of art would awaken the conscience of many artists concerned by ecology and is now considered by many to be a key work of modern Quebec sculpture.
In 1980, Vaillancourt created for an environmental sculpture
Environmental sculpture
The term environmental sculpture is variously defined. A development of the art of the 20th century, environmental sculpture usually creates or alters the environment for the viewer, as opposed to presenting itself figurally or monumentally before the viewer...
symposium at Chicoutimi his work Intemporel with a field of white stones surrounded by "cages". 1500 tons of rocks were used for this monumental work of art. The white stones, representing nature, were put into metal cages, symbolising humanity's efforts to control everything.
In 1971, a publicly commissioned fountain entitled Québec libre! was installed (San Francisco, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
). One of his best known sculptures, Québec libre! is representative of the relationship between Vaillancourt's art and his political convictions. It is a huge concrete fountain, 200 feet long, 140 feet wide and 36 feet high sitting in the city's financial district at the Embarcadero Center
The Embarcadero (San Francisco)
The Embarcadero is the eastern waterfront and roadway of the Port of San Francisco, San Francisco, California, along San Francisco Bay, constructed atop an engineered seawall on reclaimed land, and derives its name from the Spanish verb embarcar, meaning "to embark"...
. The night before its inauguration, Vaillancourt inscribed Québec libre! in red letters, to note his undying support for the Quebec sovereignty movement
Quebec sovereignty movement
The Quebec sovereignty movement refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada...
and more largely, his support for the freedom of all people. The following day, seeing that the city's employees erased the inscription, he jumped on the sculpture to reinscribe the sentence many times.
Some years later, the fountain became the object of a polemic involving U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's singer Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
. During a free concert, Bono climbed the sculpture to write Rock & Roll stops the traffic, referring to the power of rock. 20,000 people were in fact in attendance and blocked some of the neighbouring streets. Reacting to the act, the city's mayor declared that she deplored the sculpture's vandalism and that this kind of act could be punishable by a fine and/or imprisonment. Vaillancourt was then contacted to learn if he supported the gesture, which he answered by going to U2's concert in Oakland the following day, where he wrote "Stop the madness" on the stage, in front of 70,000 people. He defended Bono's gesture, after a speech on injustice, declaring that graffiti is a necessary evil as young people do not generally have the same access to newspapers, and media in general, as politicians do to express themselves.
El clamor is a 1985 work in (Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
, Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
). Described by Vaillancourt as a "symbol of vital energy of every oppressed population, of real freedom, the freedom that is inside and that we cannot imprison", this monumental sculpture, 23 feet long, 7 feet wide and 10 feet high, surrounded by barbed wire surmounted by 92 steel hands, symbolizes the struggle of people against repression and imprisonment. A 5 foot dove
Dove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
sits on top of the sculpture. It was constructed in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic for the 500th anniversary of the coming of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
.
Selective list of sculptures
- 1953: L'arbre de la rue Durocher (MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
) - 1967: Écran d'acier (OttawaOttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
) - 1967: Je me souviens (esquisse in TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario) (commissioned) - 1971: Québec libre ! (San Francisco, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) (commissioned) - 1980: Intemporel (Chicoutimi, Quebec)
- 1983: Justice (commissioned)
- 1985: El clamor (Santo DomingoSanto DomingoSanto Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
, Dominican RepublicDominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
) (political)